Supernova
by Primordial Vortex
Summary: Luffy's adventures took a much different start. It wasn't the Gomu Gomu fruit that Shanks and his crew brought to that sleepy town, and the consequences will reverberate throughout the Grand Line! With the power of the Sun in his hands, the Mugiwara Crew will take on the world! Different-DF-Luffy! Expanded crew. Harem. No Yaoi.
1. Romance Dawn

**Hey guys! Here I am with yet another new story, this time in the One Piece section!**

 **So, here we have different Devil Fruit Luffy. It's one that I made myself. Unlike most fics I've seen that give him a different Fruit – and especially ones that give him Logia – up until later this will really only make him** _ **indirectly**_ **more powerful rather than directly. It's an incredibly dangerous Fruit and he lives in East Blue. Other than with his grandpa, he can't actually train with it because he'd just murder his friends. So… well his grandpa** _ **is**_ **a Marine.**

 **Luffy will be slightly out of character. He'll still usually be the reckless dumbass we know and love, but he'll have his more serious moments too, even out of fights. I personally can't see Luffy as a** _ **complete**_ **idiot. Naïve? Childish? Reckless? Easily moved? Yes, he is all of those things. But a complete idiot? No. A complete idiot couldn't have turned what was described as a 'useless' Devil Fruit into one of the most awesome Fruits on the planet. Also, Garp trained him much more intensely as a child here. So, even though he's not a Marine, he has picked up a bit on the whole Justice thing. A tiny bit. He certainly won't go out of his way to help random people – like in the manga – but he's not just going to let some asshole break a town if he happens to be there. So pretty much like canon, actually, now that I think about.**

 **I have to ask, why is there SO MUCH gender-bending being done in this section? Naruto has an actual jutsu that allows him to do it for himself and even it doesn't have this many.**

 **There will be an expanded crew in this fic. If you can make a really good argument for why someone should or should not join, I would take it under advisement. Doesn't mean I would go through with it, but I would at least consider it. Note that tits are not considered under 'good argument.'**

 **Finally, I apologize for all of the really close canon sticking for large swaths of this chapter. I'm not really the kind of writer that likes to skimp on details, so some scenes were taken from the manga/anime where applicable. Not everything needs to change right? The butterfly isn't that powerful.**

 **Pairing: Harem. That does not mean Luffy will get every girl in the manga, or even all of the female Straw Hats. I actually have a bit of a gag planned for it. The pairing is set, so don't bother asking for anyone on Luffy's end. Pairings can also be suggested for the other members of the crew, excluding Zoro. I also have his planned.**

 **-]|[-**

 **Story Progress**

 **The Great Sage** : Has stalled at the same point it was at during my last update (Breath of the Inferno). It's not that I'm really having trouble finishing it, it's that I just keep getting drawn away by other ideas. Unfortunately, the muse gets what the muse wants.

 **Breath of the Inferno** : I have around 2.5k words done at the moment. Again, keep getting drawn away.

 **-]|[-**

 _Once upon a time, there was a great pirate. His name was "Gold Roger." He had conquered every single thing this world had to offer. Wealth. Fame. Power. He had it all. The last words that ever left his beaming lips before his execution drove people to the seas! "My treasure? If you want it, you can have it. Find it! I left everything this world has to offer in One Piece!"_

 _People descended to piracy in droves! Men headed for the Grand Line in pursuit of their dreams! The world has truly entered a Golden Age of Piracy!_

 **-]|[-**

About one year ago, a pirate ship landed right off the coast of Foosha Village. It was a sleepy little town, full of windmills and – mostly – quiet, hardworking folks. And then the pirates got off the ship, and suddenly things weren't quiet anymore.

"Oi! What are you doing, Luffy!" A bemused voice called out. It belonged to a somewhat scruffy-looking redhead wearing a straw hat.

"I've had enough!" An angry looking black-haired boy wearing a shirt with the epitaph of "anchor" embosomed on it roared out, much to the scattered amusement of the pirates. His name was Monkey D. Luffy, and he was eager for adventure! He would show these pirates that he was tough enough to travel with them! "I'll prove it to you all, and then you'll take me with you!" The pirates weren't even concerned with the knife he had in his hand. It wasn't as if they thought he would actually try to attack them.

They may also have already been a little drunk. The redhead laughed, "Dahaha! Go for it Luffy! Let's see what you're gonna do!"

One of the delighted pirates chuckled, "Luffy is going to do something funny again!"

The amusement dried up faster than a puddle in a desert. "Argh!" Luffy roared, and stabbed the knife into his own cheek, right under his left eye! Instantly, jaws dropped all around as the pirates panicked! "OUCH!"

"IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" The redhead roared!

 **-]|[-**

"Bahaha!" The bar was packed full of pirates, "Let's drink! To celebrate Luffy's craziness!" The redhead yelled while raising his glass, "And to our greatness, of course!"

"Ga ha ha ha! Drink! Drink!" One of the pirates yelled.

"Sake! Sake! Bring out more Sake!"

One indignant pirate screamed out, "HEY! Idiot, that's _my_ meat!"

A more laid back, stern looking pirate with dark hair shook his head, "Yo! Cut it out! To brawl while you're drunk is so shameful!"

Luffy himself was in the bar with his pirate friends. He was wearing a pained grin with some tears in his eyes. The cut he had put on himself had already been stitched up, "Ha! It didn't hurt one bit!"

The redhead with the straw hat had shark-like teeth in his mouth as he screamed at the boy, "Liar! Don't do something so stupid again!"

Luffy laughed uproariously, "I'm not afraid of pain at all! Next time bring me out to see with you guys!" He gleefully demanded with his fists in the air, showing off the anchor on his shirt, "I want to be a pirate too!"

The bar exploded into hysterics once more, as the pirates burst out into laughter, none louder than the redheaded Captain himself, Red-Haired Shanks. "You can't handle being a pirate!" He chuckled, "Not being able to swim is a pirate's greatest weakness!" Shanks sat with one leg crossed over the other with a glass of booze in one hand. He was wearing an open button-up shirt with a red sash securing it, as well as a sword and his dark grey shorts.

Luffy visibly grew irritated and waved his arms around petulantly, "Then I'll just stay onboard the ship! I'll be fine!" He drew back and flexed, holding a tiny bicep with his other hand, "Besides, my fighting is pretty good too!" He grinned impossibly wide, before punching out, "I've trained rigorously before! My punch is as strong as a pistol!"

Shanks deadpanned, "Wow, a pistol? Really?" He looked incredibly uninterested, with his chin resting on one hand.

"What kind of tone is that!" Luffy yelled out!

The crew began laughing again. A particularly rotund member with goggles and a drumstick in his hand spoke up, "A pirate's life is great!"

Another member latched onto him in a one-armed hug, "Yeah, the sea is so wide and deep! You can go to any island and seek adventure!"

Yet another joined the growing pirate train, "Nothing is greater than freedom!"

Luffy's eyes were sparkling in excitement as he stared at the pirates in awe.

Shanks had a spoon in his mouth and an unimpressed look on his face, "Don't give him dumb ideas you guys."

The fat one looked confused and rubbed his head, "But it's the truth, right?"

One of the members slouching on a chair spoke up, "Captain, why not bring him with us one of these days? It's not a big deal."

"Yeah!" Luffy yelped and practically hopped in excitement.

Another pirate popped up with a grin, "I agree!"

Shanks had a sly look on his face and a grin on his lips, "Fine, we'll bring him. But one of you has to stay behind so he can take your place…"

The bar was silent for a beat, before all of the pirates turned away, "Welp! We've said enough. Let's go drink!"

Luffy exploded indignantly, "What kind of friends are you!"

Shanks chuckled and rubbed Luffy's hair, "Kid, the important thing here is that you're still too young! I'll reconsider taking you to sea if you wait another ten years."

"Damn it Shanks! I'm not a little kid anymore!" Luffy growled.

"Oh, don't be mad!" He pushed a glass filled with juice towards Luffy, "Here, have some juice!" Luffy's face lit up and he started gulping down the juice with a happy grin on his face. Shanks guffawed for a moment and then burst into laughter, tears streaming from his eyes, "Dahahahaha! You really are a kid! How funny!"

"What a dirty trick!" Luffy cried out while shaking a fist at Shanks. He blew a puff of air out, "I'm so tired." He groaned, "I even cut myself today and he still won't agree."

"Luffy." Ben Beckman, the First Mate of the Red-Haired Pirates called the young boy while igniting a hand-made cigarette, "You should try to understand the Captain's feelings." He told the Luffy. He just looked puzzled in response, muttering the same words back. Ben chuckled while inhaling the smoke, "Of course! He is our leader after all! He knows being a pirate is interesting." He blew the smoke out, "But more importantly, he knows how _dangerous_ being a pirate is. Life can be very hard while on a pirate ship!" He grinned, "Get it? He's not purposely teasing you. He's just looking out for you!"

"I don't understand." Luffy crossed his arms, "Shanks takes me for an idiot!" Shanks' chuckled, 'can't swim!' instantly made Luffy roar out, "SEE!"

The bartender finally made it back into the bar with a happy smile on her face. She was a beautiful, petite green-haired woman carrying a barrel, "You seem happy, Captain!" She called out cheerfully while serving up more drinks.

"Ah, teasing little anchor here is my joy, Makino-chan!" Shanks grinned. She blushed minutely at him.

Luffy pointed at Shanks while looking at Ben, "He _really_ is very happy." He deadpanned at the pirate. Ben sweatdropped in response.

"Would you like something to eat, Luffy?" Makino called out as she got behind the bar.

Luffy grinned widely, "Okay! I'll pay you with my treasure!"

"What treasure?' Shanks scoffed out in amusement. He was lounging back, taking up two seats and part of the bar, "You're lying again!" He called out in amusement.

"No! I'll definitely be a pirate! And I'll pay her back with the treasure that I find!"

Makino's bright smile never dimmed as she giggled, "I'll be waiting!"

Some time passed as the party mellowed out somewhat. Luffy was hungrily ripping into a large chunk of meat, "Hey Shanks, how long are you going to stay?"

Shanks smiled softly, "Well, we've been using this town as our base for a little over a year." He turned contemplative, "We'll probably set off a couple more times before we move on for good."

Luffy's mouth was bulging with food, but he still somehow spoke clearly, "Couple of times huh?" He looked morose for a moment, "Well, I'll definitely have learned to swim by then!"

Shanks rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Sure, sure. We'll be waiting. Good luck!"

Whatever Luffy was going to say was cut off with a loud bang! The door almost ripped off its hinges as it slammed into the front wall. A foot lowered as a _very_ scruffy, dirty looking samurai-wannabe walked in, "Hah! So these are pirates huh?" He mused, "This is the first time I've seen pirates." He eyed Lucky Roo – the really fat member of Shanks' crew – and sneered, "They all look pretty dumb to me."

Luffy had a confused look on his face as he held a very strange looking fruit in his hand. It was a bright orange and yellow pineapple-looking fruit. Its leaves were red and curly – looking vaguely flame-like – unlike what was usual for the plant. The flesh was bumpy much like a regular pineapple and extremely yellow. Orange swirls marked each bump, as well as the recessed bits in between each bump. They almost looked like stylized suns. And a large chunk of the fruit was missing as Luffy chewed noisily.

The guy – who wore a long purple coat with a strange yellow design going down one side over a white shirt and black trousers – reached the bar and put a hand down, "We are mountain bandits." The man declared as a greeting. "We're not here to cause trouble." He stated, "We just want to buy ten barrels of sake."

Makino had a forced smile on her slightly sweaty face, "I'm sorry, but we're fresh out of sake."

"Oh?" The bandit – a man named Higuma – tutted, "That's strange. What are they all drinking then? Water?"

Makino's smile became a bit more forced, "It is Sake. Like I said, we're fresh out."

Shanks chuckled, "Sorry about that! Looks like we drank it all up." He raised the last bottle, "If you like, you can have this last one. I'm just about done for the day anyway."

Higuma sneered, and before Luffy knew what happened the man's fist lashed out. The Sake bottle exploded and showered the alcohol all over Shanks. Makino gasped – wide eyed – and held a hand up to her mouth. Higuma laughed, "Just who do you think I am?" He mocked the drenched Captain, "Don't take me lightly! One bottle isn't enough!"

Shanks looked cool and collected. He didn't react in the slightest, "Oh no! The floor is all wet!"

Higuma's eye twitched as he drew his hand out of his open shirt with a piece of paper in it, "You see this? I'm worth 8,000,000 Beli. I'm one of the prime fugitives here. I've killed 56 people before, you cocky bastard." He leaned closer to Shanks, who hadn't even turned to as much as look at the man, "Now that you know who I am, I suggest you don't mess with me again." Higuma looked like he had something unpleasant in his nose, "After all, mountain bandits and sea pirates don't mix well."

Shanks reached down and grabbed the shattered glass bottle, "Man, what a mess. Sorry about that Makino. Do you have a mop?"

"Ah!" Makino stammered, "It's okay. I'll get it."

Shanks waved her off, "Nah, I got it. Don't worry yourself." He completely ignored the bandit.

The goateed man growled lowly, before swiping his sword out. The chiming and cracking of shattered glass rang through the bar as he broke every glass that had piled up. He grinned menacingly, "Well, since you enjoy cleaning so much, you can enjoy it even more." He and his men left with a parting shot of, "Later, you cowards."

The bar was silent for a moment as Shanks sat at the bar with his straw hat over his eyes for a moment. Makino hurried over and bent at the waist, "Captain, are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he?"

Shanks was silent, before a grin broke out on his face, "Phew."

The rest of the Red-Haired Pirates burst out into hysterical laughter. Lucky Roo was barely breathing as he wheezed out, "Ahahaha! Our Captain looked so silly! He sure fixed you up good, Captain!" Shanks burst into his own laughter as he took his hat off his head and waved it dry.

Finally, Luffy couldn't take it anymore, "THAT WAS DISGRACEFUL!" He screamed at Shanks angrily. His eyes and mouth were wide and furious, "WHY DIDN'T YOU FIGHT HIM HUH? EVEN IF HE HAD MORE MEN, WHO LAUGHS AFTER GETTING PICKED ON! YOU'RE NOT A MAN AND YOU'RE NOT A PIRATE EITHER!"

Shanks looked at him silently for a moment, before chuckling, "Look Luffy, I know how you feel, but there's nothing to get worked up about. It was just a bottle of sake." He grinned, "If I fought every idiot who thought he was a big shot, I'd never get anything else done."

Luffy scoffed and turned to walk away, "I don't want to see you again, coward!"

Shanks laughed and grabbed his right wrist, "Ah, don't be like that Lu…FFFFFYYYYY!" The entire bar erupted into pandemonium as Luffy's arm burst off his shoulders in sparks of brilliant, golden flames and shining light. The fire sprinkled on the wooden floor of the bar and ignited! Shanks quickly let go of the extremely hot, flaming appendage and yelled at Luffy, "Luffy! Draw it back in! Draw your arm back in!" He yelled at the panicking boy, who hurried to try to do just that.

Slowly, the golden blaze crawled up his form and reformed into his arm, "What's happening!" He yelled in terror as his eyes bulged from his face and his mouth opened wide! The floor of the bar was charred and black where the fire had licked. The floorboards hadn't burned so much as they had _vaporized_.

"It's gone!" Lucky yelled as he dropped a treasure chest back onto a table. In less time than it took to blink, Lucky was next to Luffy with a notepad. On it was a drawing of a very familiar fruit! "Luffy, did you eat this?!"

Luffy – whose heart rate had returned to normal from his panic – answered sheepishly, "Wasn't that dessert? It tasted awful though."

Shanks got in Luffy's face and yelled, "That's a Devil Fruit Luffy! It's one of the rarest treasures in the sea! It can give you powers, but whoever eats one will never be able to swim again!"

Luffy's jaw dropped to the floor and his eyes bugged out, "WHAT! You're kidding right!" Snot dribbled from his nose.

"YOU IDIOT!" Shanks roared out with his shark teeth in full display!

 **-]|[-**

Shanks rubbed his face in irritation as his crew sat around him with varying looks on their faces. Luffy was sitting on a stool looking down.

Yassop chuckled weakly, "Well, at least we know what the Fruit was now, right?"

Shanks threw him a dirty look as the rest of the crew chuckled. "Why did we even bring the Fruit with us!" He waved his arms up and down, "We could have kept it on the ship! No one would have tried to steal it! No one even knew we had it other than us! Hell, in East Blue, no one would have even known what it was! And now Luffy will never be able to swim!" Luffy looked even more down, and even the crew was looking at each other with clueless question marks over their heads. Why the hell _did_ they bring it with them?

Lucky Roo flashed his signature shit-eating grin, "Hey, at least Luffy got a really strong power right?" Luffy perked up, "A logia at that. That's one of the rarest fruits there are."

"Is my fruit really that awesome?" Luffy seemed excited.

Shanks blew out a sigh, before returning to his normal, cheerful self, "I suppose you did get a strong one, at least." He cackled, "You'll forever be our little anchor now though!" The rest of the crew burst out laughing as Luffy puffed his cheeks out in irritation.

"You jerk!" Luffy tried to punch him but his arm ignited in those golden flames once more against his will. Shanks dodged so quickly that Luffy couldn't even tell he had moved. He simply was in another seat as Luffy's fire passed harmlessly through the air before being sucked back into the boy, "Ah! I'm sorry Shanks!"

Shanks shook his head, "Be careful Luffy! You're a Sun Man now! You could seriously hurt someone with that!"

"I didn't mean to!" Luffy waved his arms wildly, unintentionally turning them to flames again. He stopped and then turned into a statue, trying not to move at all. "A Sun Man?"

Ben Beckman nodded, "That's right. If I had to guess, you ate the Enten Enten fruit. The fruit of the Scorching Sun." He grinned at the interested boy, "It's a Logia, so you can now literally transform your body into the same stuff that the sun is made of, and you'll be able to produce endless amounts of it!"

"Wow!" Luffy looked excited.

"But it's dangerous to you too, Luffy." Shanks had to be the downer in this case, "Your fires and light seem even hotter than the fires produced by the Mera Mera fruit and you're even more volatile than normal right now! You have to control it very carefully! You could seriously harm a friend if you turn into the Sun when they're trying to hug you!"

Luffy looked horrified, "I would never!"

Shanks carefully put his hand on the boy's head, "You would never mean to, but if you don't control it, it could happen." He sighed at the boy's stricken look. He rubbed his chin, which had a fair amount of stubble on it. Ben smiled with his eyes closed. If he knew his Captain as much as he thought he did, they'd be at this village for a while longer before their next trip. He wasn't disappointed, "Alright men!" Shanks yelled out, "I know we were supposed to leave on another trip tomorrow, but we can't leave Luffy hanging like this! We'll be here for a little while so I can train the kid a bit!"

Luffy grinned brightly at the red-haired Captain.

 **-]|[-**

Luffy yawned as he walked into the clearing Shanks had led them to. It was a long way from the Village so that there was no risk of anyone getting hurt. Other than Luffy that was, but he didn't know that.

Shanks greeted sat on a stone in the middle of the clearing with a yawn of his own, "Well, here we are." He muttered sleepily. He rubbed his eyes – Luffy tiredly doing the same – and then clapped his cheeks with his palms in an attempt to rouse himself. It was early in the morning, since Shanks did want to set sail again soon. "Now, first let me explain a few things." Shanks said, "Devil Fruits can be classed into to three broad types. Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia. You with me Luffy?" Luffy nodded eagerly, waiting to hear more about his power, "Paramecia are the most common type of Fruit, and always give you some sort of ability. This can be anything from being able to literally section off parts of your body to causing earthquakes."

Luffy's jaw dropped, "Earthquakes! Are you serious!"

Shanks grinned, "That's right. The strongest person in the world is currently the one who uses that fruit!"

"Wow." Luffy breathed, trying to imagine himself causing earthquakes.

Shanks chuckled, "Zoans are the more uncommon Fruits. It has three different subsections which increase their rarity, but for now all you really need to know is that they give you the ability to transform into some kind of animal or beast. The last type of fruit – your type – is generally the rarest." He said, "Logia Fruits allow you to literally transform into an element, or force of nature. Yours is one of the stronger Logia. Since you can become an element, you cannot even be touched by regular means!"

"Haha! I'm awesome and invincible!" Luffy puffed out his chest. Shanks grinned at Luffy willingly walking into his trap, "OWWW!" Luffy started rolling around on the ground, clutching the lump on his head. Shanks nonchalantly blew over his smoking fist. "Hey, what the hell! How did you hit me?"

Shanks grinned, "That's….a se~cret!" he singsonged, even as Luffy began pouting. Irresponsible he may be a lot of the time, but even he wouldn't be teaching a seven year old Haki. "But, as you can see, you're definitely not invincible. There are things that will be able to harm you – like I just did – the farther along the Grand Line you get. So don't get cocky, got it?" He glared at the young boy, who nodded vigorously. Shanks scuffed up Luffy's hair, "Good. Never start thinking you're untouchable. You'll only get yourself in trouble later down the line."

"I promise I won't!" Luffy held up a pinky.

Shanks grinned even as they shook on it, "Such a kid." He guffawed. Luffy's face puffed up, "Now, your flames are very, very strong and you're struggling to control them." Shanks stood and grabbed one of a hundred bamboo shoots that had been lying on the floor waiting for them. "Now, this training is to make sure you _do not_ transform when you don't want to. You have to control the Sun, not the other way around." Shanks declared. Luffy started to sweat at his evil grin, "So I'm going to smack you with these bamboo sticks. If you destroy or even burn the sticks, I'll use my little trick and whack you!"

Luffy trembled, "This isn't revenge for stealing the fruit is it?"

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

Whoosh.

WHACK

"OWWWWW!"

 **-]|[-**

It has been a few months since that incident at Makino's Party Bar, and Luffy was currently racing into town with a big smile on his face. Today was the day Shanks and the guys were supposed to come back! They had been gone for a couple weeks, and Luffy had missed the entire gang.

"Hey, Luffy! You look like you're in a good mood today! Didn't the pirates leave you behind again? Either way, you can't swim anymore!" The shopkeeper who Luffy was buying his fish from looked amused.

"Shishishi! I'll just be a pirate who never falls in the ocean!"

The mayor of the town – Woop Slap – ground his teeth behind Luffy, "What's so good about being the Sun?" He jeered, "I'll say it again Luffy! Don't become a pirate! You'll ruin this town's reputation! The Captain may look reasonable, but you shouldn't hang around him again!"

Luffy had his fingers in his ear with his tongue stuck out of his mouth, "Sorry Mayor! I can't hear you!"

Later, Luffy was sitting in Makino's bar. It really felt empty without the pirates inside it. "Do you miss them Luffy? They've been gone a long time!" Makino mused as she cleaned one of the plates Luffy had used, "You looked pretty upset with them that day you gained your powers. Those bandits humiliated them."

Luffy laughed, "Shishishi! That was before I knew how strong they actually were! Shanks told me that the _smallest_ bounty _anyone_ on his crew has is ten times the amount that bandit guy had!" Makino's eyes went wide, "I understand him now. Why would a dragon get mad at a mouse?"

Makino's shocked look softened into a smile, but before she could say anything else, the door banged open once more. Luffy turned around and his mood instantly dropped. Higuma and his bandits were at the door! "Well, it looks like the pirates aren't here today. It sure is quiet." They all sat with loud scrapes of the chairs on the new floor, greatly irritating Makino. "Well, what are you waiting for? We're customers! BRING US SAKE, WENCH!"

Luffy turned around and continued his meal, his mood soured. Even hearing that bandit's voice was irritating him, and his name for Makino wasn't helping his case. He continued stuffing his face while the bandits got more and more rowdy. Finally, he heard Makino yelp and spun rapidly on his stool. Higuma had his hand around Makino's waist and he had pulled her into his lap. His hands were certainly wandering, and Makino looked incredibly uncomfortable. She was struggling to get up, and Luffy roared, "Hey! Let go of Makino!"

Makino finally got free and walked as calmly as she could away from the bandit, even as she threw Luffy a worried look. Higuma sneered and got up, "You're that brat that was hanging out with those pirates."

"That's right!" Luffy said, happy at having been recognized even if it was by these losers.

Higuma jeered, "So, where are those loser pirates? Did they find another hovel to clean up?"

Luffy smirked, "The only losers are you idiots!"

Higuma growled and hauled Luffy up by his shirt, "Is that so brat?" He turned and tossed the boy bodily through the doors of the bar. Makino gasped, and raced out of the back to get help. Luffy could have transformed, but he didn't want to burn down poor Makino's bar. He stayed human as he rolled on the ground, groaning slightly. Higuma grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him to his feel, throwing him further into the square.

As Luffy got to his feet, he saw that he was surrounded by bandits. "So, we're losers huh brat?" One of the unnamed bandits kicked him, but Luffy had enough of getting manhandled. The bandit's leg impacted and then passed right through his burning body.

The man's insane, horrified screeching filled the air as Luffy's golden fire began consuming him. Luffy gasped, horrified at the real effect of his Devil Fruit's powers on another human, even if the guy was scum!

Higuma was distressed by the scene, his mouth gaping and his eyes bulging. He quickly shook himself. This brat was dangerous! He grinned sinisterly as he pulled a single, somewhat broken-looking stone-like cuff from his pocket. He dove for the unresponsive boy and clasped it around his arm.

Instantly, Luffy felt most of his strength leave his body as he collapsed to his knees. "Not so tough now, are you brat?" Luffy lethargically moved his head towards Higuma, only to get a boot to the face.

He hit the ground with a pained gasp, "Wha-what did you do to me?" Luffy groaned as he struggled to get up.

Higuma smirked victoriously, "That's Seastone brat. It saps you freaks of your power. I got it from a Marine I killed. It was what gave me my bounty." He sneered as he kicked Luffy again, "When I sell you, I'll be set for lif-"

BANG.

Higuma jumped as blood spurted from the bullet hole on one of his men's faces. The life fluid splashed on his face before he could whirl around. He growled as he saw that red haired coward walking forward with his crew – one of which held a smoking pistol. He looked absolutely _furious_. Makino and Woop Slap were with the crew, looking anxious. Any thoughts of a peaceful resolution had fled their heads.

"Shanks!" Luffy cried in both agony and elation. The red-haired Captain was wearing a new, black cloak over his usual attire. He looked really badass.

Shanks' eyes turned kind when he gazed at Luffy, "What's wrong Luffy? Didn't you say your punch was as strong as a pistol?"

Luffy coughed out a laugh, "Shut up! They got me by surprise." He tried to act tough.

Shanks' eyes speared into Higuma. His smile was decidedly not friendly, "I was wondering why no one welcomed us at the docks."

One of the bandits got beside Shanks and held a pistol to his head, "Don't move, you bastard!"

Shanks turned his head slightly to side to look at the gun, "Risk your life." He said quietly. The bandit's guard dropped momentarily, "When you pull out a gun, you risk your life." He pointed at the gun, "You don't use these things to scare people."

BANG

Lucky Roo had somehow gotten near the bandit threatening his Captain without anyone noticing. The bandit's head was smoking and spurting blood and brain matter onto the floor as Lucky stood by, a gun in one hand and a leg of meat in the other. Makino and the Mayor gasped.

The bandits exploded into noise, "Those bastards! That was dirty!"

Ben Beckman scoffed, "Dirty? What do you think we are? Saints?" He flipped his gun over so that the stock was facing outward.

Shanks walked forward, his cloak billowing in the breeze, "We are pirates!" He said quietly, but he may as well have been yelling, "Listen well, bandits. You can whip food or Sake at me. You can even spit on me, and I'll laugh it all off." The intimidating look in his eyes terrified the bandits. Some even fainted, froth bubbling in their mouths, "But…I don't care what reasons you have! _I won't forgive_ _ **anyone**_ _who messes with my friends!_ "

Higuma burst into laughter as he kicked Luffy once more, getting a groan from the boy, "Won't forgive! You bunch of pirates who float around all day want to challenge us? We'll _break_ you!" The bandits left standing – barring Higuma himself – charged.

Ben scoffed, "Sit back. I'm enough for these idiots." He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and jammed the burning end right into one of the bandit's eyes. The acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air as the bandit howled in pain and held his face, dropping his weapons. Ben drew his rifle and drew it back. The man's skull cracked with a vicious sound as the stock broke open his cranium. Within seconds, the entire pack of bandits were on the floor before a shaking Higuma. Ben had the business end of his rifle pointed firmly at the bandit master. "If you want to fight us, you should get a fleet."

"Wow…" Luffy breathed, even as Higuma's shaking foot annoyed him.

"Amazing…" Makino still had her hands in front of her mouth.

"W-wait a minute! This brat messed with us first!" Higuma gasped. There was not a single person in the square who wouldn't have laughed in his face for such petulant, childish words had the situation not been so serious.

"Doesn't matter." Shanks said, "You have a bounty don't you?"

Higuma spat on the floor and drew a ball out of his pocket. "You're coming with me, brat!" He roared as he threw the ball. Instantly, billowing clouds of smoke enveloped the square, turning visibility from a couple miles to 'can't-see-my-nose-in-front-of-my-face.'

"Oh no!" Shanks cried with his hands on his head, "We got careless! He has Luffy!"

"C-calm down Captain! We'll split up and find them!" Lucky reassured the man.

Ben shook his head in bemusement, "That Captain…"

 **-]|[-**

Higuma was letting of a raucous laugh as he held the unenthusiastically struggling Luffy up by the scruff of the neck, "Looks like we got away clean. Those idiot pirates would never think of looking for a Mountain Bandit on the sea." He had an ugly look on his face, "You've caused me a whole hell of a lot of problems, you damn brat." He snarled, "At least two of my men dead, and the rest beaten black and blue."

Luffy snarled, "You did that to yourself! I told you that you all were a bunch of losers! You called them cowards and _you_ ran from _them_!"

"Defiant to the end huh, you brat?" He sneered, "Well, you can continue that down in the deep!" He roared at a suddenly terrified Luffy as he flung him into the drink! Luffy immediately started gasping and garbling and flapping his arms fruitlessly. Even if it could have worked, he was a Devil Fruit user now. The sea would reject him for the rest of his life! Higuma laughed uproariously at the rapidly drowning boy. "Shouldn't have messed with me, you little brat!"

He turned, eager to direct the boat back to land and froze. A monster had risen from the deep behind him. It was a deep forest green with burning, furious red eyes narrowed into slits. It was absolutely _massive_. "Oh Fu-" Higuma didn't even have a chance to finish his words as the Lord of the Coast's jaws snapped down on his tiny dinghy, crushing both it and the man riding it.

It let out a loud, terrifying howl as it caught Luffy with its gaze. With another growl, it charged forward, cutting through the ocean water as though it wasn't even there. Luffy's wide, terrified eyes were leaking tears as he struggled to do anything to get away. Ten feet. Five feet.

Two.

The beast's jaws snapped shut as its massive length passed where Luffy had been. The beast was confused. It didn't taste enough meat for the snack it had eaten. It turned around for another pass.

Shanks was there, holding Luffy tightly to his chest, "Get lost." The redhead's voice was quiet, but it had a threatening tone that Luffy had never heard before. His eyes were wide and his pupils tiny. There wasn't even a hint of his usual, easygoing grin. The Sea King keened, staring at the man. Its body trembled slightly as the two stared at one another.

The Sea King started to perspire and back away slowly, terrified of its senses which were _screaming_ **predator** at it. It made the smartest decision of its life.

The massive Lord of the Coast turned tail and dove, running as far away from the man and child as it could. The sea was silent but for the gently rolling waved and Luffy's near-hysterical crying. Shanks sighed and let out a tired grin, "Hey, what's wrong Luffy? You're a man aren't you? You stood up for Makino-chan!"

Luffy just buried his face deeper into the man's chest, bawling his little eyes out, "But Shanks! Your arm!"

The man chuckled, "It's only an arm." He said gently as he caressed the boy's wet hair, "As long as you're okay…" Shanks' left arm had been taken, leaving only a jagged, torn gash leaking blood midway up his bicep.

Luffy threw his head back and let out an anguished, soul-torn wail.

 **-]|[-**

"You're leaving for real this time?" Luffy looked down, but he stared at his hero all the same. The partly-broken Seastone cuff had long been removed from his arm, but Luffy still occasionally grabbed at the location it had been put on.

"Yeah…" Shanks looked over at the ship, where the rest of his crew and even some of the villagers was still packing on supplies. "We've been here too long. It's time we move on." He grinned at his young friend and mussed up his hair. "You aren't upset, are you?"

Luffy responded immediately, "Of course I am!" He exclaimed, "We're all friends aren't we!"

Shanks and the crew in earshot smirked and let out short cheers, "Of course? But aren't you going to beg to go with us again?" He teased with his tongue wagging.

"Nah." Luffy shook his head, "I'll become a pirate on my own!" He pumped a fist in challenge.

Shanks laughed and drew his eyelid down with a finger, "Idiot! You don't have what it takes to be a pirate!"

Luffy immediately growled and balled up his fists, "Of course I do!" He roared, "One day I'll set sail and find a crew stronger than yours!" Shanks' eyebrows rose in surprise and his grin widened, "I'll find _that_ treasure with them! The world's biggest!" He threw his arms out in the air, letting off two short blasts of flame, "I'M GOING TO BE THE PIRATE KING! YOU'LL SEE!"

Shanks' grin grew to the widest Luffy had ever seen it, "Hoh? You're going to be bigger than all of us huh? Well then…" Luffy stared at the ground, trembling and trying not to cry. Shanks' eyes were shadowed by his straw hat up until he removed it with his remaining arm, "I'll leave this precious hat of mine to you." Luffy froze as Shanks pushed his treasure hat onto his head, not breathing for a moment. His head dipped further and twin streams of tears dripped from under the hat, "It's very dear to me. Take good care of it!" Shanks turned and walked away, his cloak billowing as he hopped up a massive distance up onto the ship, "Become a great pirate Luffy! When we next meet, you'll give that hat back!"

"SHAAAAANNNNKKKKSSSSSS!" Luffy cried even as he waved goodbye to his departing friends. His dream had been acknowledged by his hero, and Luffy would never stop until he achieved it!

On the rapidly shrinking ship, Ben had his eyes closed and a smile on his lips, "He's going to be great, isn't he?"

Shanks chuckled, "Of course. He reminds me of us."

 **-]|[-**

Ten years had passed since the Red-Haired Pirates had set sail for the last time. The sleepy little town of Foosha hadn't changed much. Oh sure, there were periods of time where it was quieter than usual – usually when Luffy was in the mountains or away with Garp – but beyond that, Shanks and his crew would have been right at home.

But Shanks never had returned, keeping to his promise of only meeting Luffy again when the kid had made it big.

And today was the day Luffy was finally going to set out on his grand adventure!

"There he goes!" Makino waved cheerfully at the rapidly shrinking dot on the horizon. She had a wide grin to contrast with Woop Slap's scowl, "Looks like he finally left! We're sure going to miss him..."

The mayor merely growled, "He's going to ruin this town's reputation!" Makino rolled her eyes as she turned to go back to the bar in response.

Out on the sea, Luffy was cheerfully lounging on his tiny little dinghy. He was wearing his soon-to-be-signature Straw Hat, an open, red cardigan with flared sleeves exposing his chest, and some blue jean shorts with cuffs. "Man, the weather sure is great today!" He exclaimed cheerfully. But a rumbling ruined the serene peace of the open ocean. "Eh?" Luffy opened an eye and tipped his hat off his face before grinning, "Oh, it's _you_." The Lord of the Coast which had so terrified his early years rose from the ocean, water dripping from its form. It snarled and started racing towards Luffy and his dinghy as the Sun Man stood up.

Luffy grinned viciously as he balled up his right fist, "Enten no…HIGAN!" It happened in an instant. One moment the great Sea King was diving towards Luffy, and the next a _blinding_ light was scorching through the air. The water hissed as it instantly began to boil with the passing of the blast of golden, concentrated fire. The Sea King didn't even have time to regret its decision before the energy was upon it and burning a hole straight through its skull. It wobbled for a moment – a smoking, cauterized wound visible through it – before it collapsed to the water and began sinking.

Luffy grinned impossibly wide, "Shishishi…How'd that taste, you stupid fish!" His hat was shadowing his eyes as he struck a pose, one fist clenched in front of him with the other gripping his forearm, "That was for Shanks." He whispered.

He collapsed back down lazily. He crossed his arms behind his back and began lounging lazily, "Well, before I head off to the Grand Line…" He pumped his arms out, "I need some good friends!" he laughed good-naturedly, "And then…! We'll get a ship and a flag! And then! I'll become the Pirate King!"

The next day, Luffy again had a giant grin on his face, "Man, what great weather again!" he cheered, "Who would have thought I'd get into such a mess on such a great day!" And indeed, the absolutely massive, whirling dervish of a maelstrom sucking in his tiny boat could certainly be described as 'a mess.' "Man, what a huge whirlpool. How careless of me." His grin hadn't even changed, as if he was just talking about the weather and not the hungry death spiral. "Man, and I can't even swim!" His face finally changed, an 'o' of realization appearing, "Wait, it wouldn't matter even if I could swim!"

And then the whirlpool swallowed him.

 **-]|[-**

Somewhat far away, a large ship sat in the gently rolling waves. A manicured hand with pearls around the wrist was seen running a finger across the railing. "What's this?" A dangerous, rough sounding female(?) voice was heard saying. Instantly, all of the men on the ship stiffened in fear, "What is all this dust?" She asked the shivering men.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, Alvida-sama! I thought I had already cleaned the entire deck! I-I'll clean it again! So please do-don't-"

"Don't what?" She whirled around.

"Please don't hit me with your maaaa-" The word he was going to say was "mace."

BAM

The iron mace of Alvida crashed onto the man's skull and split it wide open. He collapsed like a puppet with his strings cut and crashed to the deck. He began to bleed out and didn't move again.

"Coby!" Alvida roared as she slowly…turned around. The woman was very, very obese. She took up enough space for five men, and she carried a massive, hulking slab of iron she called a mace. She was a wearing a pink plaid shirt that was stretched disgustingly taut over her frame, an equally tight pair of greying pants and a blue Captain's coat. She had a white, red-plumed cowgirl hat and was covered in gaudy looking jewelry. She had a flintlock tied to her by a purple sash to finish off the look.

All in all, she was a disgusting whale.

The 'Coby' she was addressing was a chubby, dorky looking boy with a pink bowl-cut. "Y-yes Alvida-sama?"

"Who is the most beautiful woman in the entire sea?" She asked threateningly.

 _Not you._ "A-ah, that would o-of course be y-you, Alvida-sama!" Coby shakily answered.

"That's right!" The rotund woman roared, "And because of it, I don't want a single dirty thing on my entire ship! I don't want to see even a single speck of dust!" She – slowly – turned to him again, "The only reason you're alive is because you're a good navigator." She snarled at the terrified boy.

 _You fat old hag._ "O-of course, Alvida-sama!" He cried piteously, not allowing any tears to escape.

"Other than that, you're entirely worthless! Now, clean my shoes!" She thrust her large leg at the boy.

"Yes, Alvida-sama." He moaned. After a few minutes of cleaning, he got a boot to the face.

"That's enough, trash!" She snarled, "Go clean the wash room!" And with that, she lost interest in the flaky boy.

"Haha, I'll be on my way, Alvida-sama!" As they all left him, his face turned down as he finally allowed a tear to escape, "I'll be on my way." He whispered.

 **-]|[-**

Two sailors were lazily slumped over one of the railings of the cruise ship they were on. They were just relaxing and looking out at the whirlpool they were passing by. The seagulls were singing and it was pretty peaceful, other than the gaping maw in the ocean. "Huh?" Their attention was grabbed by a barrel hitting the side of the ship. The two sailors grinned at each other, and fetched a rope with a claw on it to grab the barrel. One of the sailors spun it mightily and flung it downward, "Hit it!"

The claw went wide.

The other sailor laughed at his friend's ongoing misfortune, "Three strikes! Batter out!"

Inside the extremely opulent ship, a beautiful orange-haired girl wearing a nice, pale dress was staring out the window with her chin in her palm. Fancy violin music was being played by the live band. The Captain was heard reassuring one of the passengers that a whirlpool of the size they were passing wasn't even a worry to the ship. One young man came up to the orange-haired girl and asked for a dance, which she accepted with a smile.

Outside, the men finally grabbed the barrel with the claw and hauled it into the ship. "Awesome! This thing is hea~vy! Must be full of booze!" The larger sailor beamed.

Their merriment was cut short by a horrified gasp from up in the crow's nest! "P-p-p-PIRATES! It's a pirate ship! Enemy raid! Enemy raid!" The sailors gasped and ran off inside to alert the Captain in their panic.

The pirate ship – which had been painted a lurid pink of all things – had a large red heart on the main sail, which was coming unfurled. Smoke erupted from the eyesore, with three large cannon balls surging towards the cruise ship! After a few seconds flight they finally impacted, all going wide of their target. Large geysers of water blew into the air and shook the ship terribly.

Inside, all of the passengers were screaming and panicking and running around like chicken with their heads cut off. All of course, but one. The orange-haired girl had widened her stance to keep her balance and had her arms out to aid in that. Slowly, a wide smirk formed on her lips.

On the enemy pirate ship, Alvida was smirking as they finally scored a direct hit and broke the dolphin figurehead at the front of the ship. "Coby! Who is the most beautiful woman in the entire sea?"

 _Basically anyone not you, you ugly whale._ "Y-you are of course, Alvida-sama."

She laughed hoarsely, "Well done." Coby stammered his thanks.

"This will be our first good haul in a while." One of the men licked his lips.

She grinned wider, "Pound them good boys! Show them the terror of Lady Alvida!" The ship turned and fired with its front-facing cannon, striking a direct hit on the main mast. On the ship, the barrel rolled down some steps and into the holds, finally turning into an open door. Elsewhere on the ship, the orange-haired girl was running with an irritated grimace on her face. She really didn't want to get this dress messed up, so she was being forced to hold up the hem.

She reached the door and broke out, turning right only to shiver and squeak as the much smaller pirate ship pulled alongside the cruise ship. She turned tail and ran back the way she had come, as the pirates threw their hooks and got onto the ship.

"What do you think you're doing, Coby?" She snarled at the hesitating boy.

"I-I'm not really good at this." Coby stammered at his jailor.

She snarled and booted him in the behind, "Don't back talk me! Get your ass into gear!"

Coby flew onto the deck of the ship and landed face-first into one of the walls. He slumped to the floor and began sniveling. Alvida followed with her mace held high, terrifying Coby with her huge jump and the fact that _she was going to hit him_! He screamed like a girl and ducked, allowing Alvida and her mace to plow right through the wall. Smoke and dust and wood chips flew through the air for a few moments, before revealing a dazed Alvida sitting there.

One of the pirates grinned menacingly, "We won't be taking yer lives today, but we will take all yer valuables. Start handing them over."

Alvida shook herself and wandered over, "Anyone who argues takes a nice swim in that whirlpool." Inside the ship, their raucous laughter was all the orange-haired girl could hear. She smirked and threw her fancy dress off, revealing a tight blue shirt, loose black pants with a red sash, and a black bandana covering parts of her orange hair.

A few minutes later, Coby was checking about the ship in a frightened manner when he came upon a room with an open door, "He-hello?" He poked his head in slowly. There was no one there of course. He sighed in relief as he entered, before taking note of the large barrel that had knocked a bunch of stuff over off to the side. "Man, what a large barrel…" He mused.

Outside, the orange-haired girl had used one of the hook ropes the pirates had left behind to zip line over and board the ugly pirate ship. She swiftly moved to the door and looked around several times before reaching for the doorknob. Before she had even touched it, it sprang open and spooked her greatly. She sprang back and took up a weird pose as the pirate looked her over. "Hey, who are you? I don't think I've seen _you_ before." He eyed her with a growing grin as he leaned closer. She chuckled slightly before her weird pose turned into a vicious kick.

She planted her foot as hard as she could right between the man's legs. Immediately, he would have begun singing soprano if he hadn't swallowed his tongue. Instead, he collapsed to the deck, unconsciously holding his precious. She smiled brightly and made her way into the ship after hiding the body.

Inside the cruise ship, Coby was struggling to move the barrel, rolling it over to the door. "Hey, what are you sneaking around for Coby?" one of the pirates asked, scaring the crap out of the boy.

"A-ah! I was just rolling this over to the ship! It's pretty heavy!" He exclaimed in panic.

The pirate grinned, "Heavy eh? That's good. Must be full of booze." He hauled it upright, "And I'm thirsty." He licked his lips.

"We can't!" Coby yelled in shock, "Alvida-sama will kill us!"

The pirate sneered as he raised his fist, "Well as long as you don't tell, she doesn't have to know! You just need to keep yer mouth shut!" He swung downward with a hard punch to break through the top of the barrel.

Only it wasn't his fist that broke through. Instead, _two_ fists burst upward right through the lids, one of which nailed him clean in the jaw as a boy wearing a straw hat and a _massive_ grin came up yawning, "Man, what a great nap! I slept awesomely!" The thud of the pirate hitting the floor drew his attention, "Huh?" He looked over to the downed man before looking straight ahead at the other two pirates, "Who are you guys?"

The two sprang forward with shark teeth and roared at him, " _No! Who the hell are you!_ "

Luffy ignored them as he stepped out of the barrel, "Man, that guy is going to catch a cold if he sleeps on the floor, you know?"

Their eyes bugged out, "YOU PUT HIM THERE!" They drew swords, and Luffy looked at them with a confused look, "Do you even know who you're messing with brat? We're pirates!"

Luffy had already turned to Coby, "Man, I'm hungry. You guys have any food?"

The pirate's eyes bulged out even more, "Listen when people are talking!" They both raised their swords in the air, "You damn brat!" The swung, eager to have their blades taste flesh. Coby covered his eyes with his hands. SHING. Thunk. Thunk.

He slowly uncovered them, steadying himself for the horrifying sight he would no doubt come across. He gasped in shock and started to stare. The boy's right arm was pointing left with a closed fist. The two swords the pirates had drawn were each broken with their tips stuck in the floorboards. And the pirates?

They were both embedded up to their waists in the walls on the far side of the room, legs hanging limply in their holes. Coby stammered, "You…what…how?" he screamed, "Who are you?"

"Eh?" Luffy turned to him, "I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Nice ta meetcha." He grinned.

Coby shook himself, "You have to hurry! If they come back with their friends you're dead!"

Luffy snorted, "Nah, I'm hungry. Got any food?"

Coby only gaped. "How can you be so carefree! They're pirates!"

"So am I." Luffy grinned at Coby's horrified look, "I only just started out though. I was just setting sail for the first time when I accidently went into a whirlpool. Shishishi." he laughed.

He started walking forward so Coby grabbed him, trying to haul him away, "No not that way! There are dozens of them! You have to get out!" Luffy didn't even slow his stride as he dragged the pink-haired boy – scraping feet and all – through a doorway. He grinned brightly and dove down into the food in the room. Coby sighed then, "Actually, this room isn't that bad. They might not find us here." Luffy wasn't even paying attention. He was stuffing his face full of food. "You're Luffy right? I'm Coby." He started down the steps, "That was incredible just now. How did you do that?"

Luffy turned around as Coby reached him, "These are great!" he exclaimed, completely ignoring Coby's questioning. He turned back around and continued to eat, "Is this a pirate ship?"

Coby shook his head, "No, this is a cruise ship the Alvida Pirates are raising." Luffy stiffened for a moment, before continuing to eat. "Are there any boats on board? I kind of lost mine in that whirlpool. Man, was that sure a surprise. Shishishi." He chuckled through the food in his mouth.

"There should be. All ships have life boats right?" Coby replied with a small smile as he watched the glutton feed.

"You one of these pirates?" Luffy asked.

Coby stiffened, "N-not exactly. I wandered onto a boat to go fishing." He looked down, "But it turns out that it was a ship to Alvida-sama's ship. It's been two years since." He held onto his knees, "They made me a cabin boy in exchange for my life." He finished in misery.

It was silent for a moment, before Luffy grinned, "Man, you're an idiot."

If anything, the weight on Coby's shoulders got heavier, "You're brutally honest."

"If you want to leave, then leave." Luffy stretched.

"I-I can't! No way! No way! Just thinking of Alvida-sama finding out terrifies me! I'm too scared!"

"And you're a coward too?" Luffy laughed, stabbing yet another arrow into Coby's self-esteem. "Man, I hate you!"

Tears streamed down Coby's flumped face, and it almost looked like he was about to give up the ghost. He drew himself up and slumped forward, "Yeah, you're right. I'm a coward. If only I had the courage to be like you and drift in a barrel…" He sighed, "There's something I want to do too… Ah…Luffy? What compelled you onto the sea?"

Luffy grinned and pumped his fists into the air, "I'm going to the Grand Line!" Coby gasped, "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

Coby's jaw dropped and his pupils shrank into pinpricks. He was hearing alarm bells in his head and he was practically choking, "I-Impossible! No way! No way! Pirate King? Are you serious!"

"Yeah?" Luffy shrugged nonchalantly.

"What about your crew?" Coby stammered.

"Don't have one yet." Luffy said cheerfully. "I just started out. I'm just starting to go looking!" Coby froze, and even when Luffy waved a hand in his face he didn't move.

"P-pirate King is the title given to the one who obtains _everything_! Great treasure! Wealth! Fame! Power!" With each word, Luffy nodded, "…One Piece!"

"Yep!" Luffy confirmed with a bright, wide grin.

"Pirates all over the world are after that treasure!" He screamed in shock.

"Me too. And I'll be the one to get it!" He smirked.

"No! Impossible! No way! No way! Absolutely no way!" Coby shook his head back and forth with his fists clenched. "There's no way you can stand at the apex of this pirate era and scream that! No way no wa-"

BAM

Luffy's fist collided with the younger boy's head, "Shut up, you idiot."

"Wh-why'd you hit me?" Coby sniffled, "Not like I'm not used to it by now. It's alright." He laugh-cried.

"It's not about whether I can or can't." Luffy said as he held onto his hat, "I'm going to do it because I want to!" He said passionately, "It's my dream! I'll become the Pirate King or I'll die fighting for that dream! I don't care if I lose my life trying! If I just sat at home I could never forgive myself!" He stood up and put his hat back on, "Well, I'm full. I'm going to go find a boat."

"W-wait!" Coby yelled, "Luffy! I have a dream too! Do you think I can accomplish it if I stake my life on it!"

"Do what?" Luffy stopped walking and looked over at the coward.

"Do you think I can join the navy?" Luffy smirked, "Catching bad guys is my dream!" All hint of a stutter was gone from the cowardly boy's voice, "It's been my dream ever since I was little!"

"Then do it!" Luffy yelled and clapped him in the back, "Don't let your dreams be dreams! If you don't fight for them, who will?"

"That's right!" Coby screamed, "I'm not going to be a chore boy forever!" He was working himself into a frenzy, "I'm going to be a great Marine and work tirelessly to catch criminals! And the first one I'm going to catch is Alvida-Sama- NO, Alvida!"

And with that, the ceiling broke and all strength left the boy's body as Alvida's huge mass landed behind him, "Who are you going to catch, Coby?" Coby shook and trembled as Alvida's form was revealed.

Luffy blinked as he looked at her, before turning very slightly green. Five swords burst from the wood behind him, "Oro?" He looked puzzled.

"Hah, you don't look like Pirate Hunter Zoro to me." Alvida smirked, before drawing her gaze to the pink-haired boy, "COBY! Who is the most beautiful woman in the entire sea?"

Coby stammered and rubbed his head with a terrified smile, "Tha-that would be-"

"Hey Coby, who's the fat hag?" Luffy picked his nose with his pinky.

Jaws dropped from both of the other occupants as well as the men standing at the hole in the ceiling.

Alvida wasn't breathing for a moment, before she started to grind her teeth and tic marks started popping up all over her huge face, "YOU GOD DAMN BRAT!" She roared as she hauled her massive mace up and over her head. She started swinging downward.

Luffy grinned. In the blink of an eye, his foot was on Alvida's head with Coby held by the face in his right hand, "See ya, lard ass!" And with that, both he and Coby were sailing through the large hole. Alvida's mace crashed onto the space her target had occupied, throwing up dust and wood chips.

The two landed on the deck, where the two trembling pirates Luffy had decked earlier were shaking. Steeling themselves, they drew new swords and charged with loud battle cries. Luffy rolled his eyes and got in front of them in a blink, his fists digging into their domes. Teeth and blood flew as they were launched hard across the deck, impacting the railings and tumbling right off the ship. Behind him a swordsman roared as he leapt in for a 'sneak' attack. Luffy sidestepped, "Man, backstabs are for losers." He spun and grabbed the man's face, pounding it into the ship. Wood cracked and splinters flew out of the new crater formed by the guy's face.

"Oro?" He looked up and saw dozens more pirates above him, "Mass attacks aren't cool either!" He screamed as he ran in fear from the dozens of pirates chasing him. He smirked in amusement as he led the men on a merry chase across the deck. In his peripheral, he noticed a girl in a blue shirt and bandana sneak out of Alvida's pirate ship with a huge bag slung over her shoulders. He grinned. Wasn't that interesting? He spun and laughed out, "Gotcha!" He vanished from sight and before any of the pirates even knew what hit them, they were all slumped over on the deck with fist marks all over their bodies. "Shishishi."

Coby shivered, "A-amazing! You took out all those tough pirates like they were nothing!"

Luffy rubbed his nose while chuckling, "Those guys were weaklings. No challenge at all."

"Do you…do you think I could ever be as strong as you, Luffy?" Coby asked shyly.

"Not a clue." Luffy grinned cheerfully, "That's all on you, coward-boy!"

Coby slumped, an arrow saying 'coward' sticking out of his back. "S-so mean!"

And with that, another loud crash broke through the silence. Alvida had shown up once more! "So, you're not Pirate Hunter Zoro. I haven't seen you use a sword yet."

Luffy picked his nose once more, "Oh hey, the hag showed up again."

Coby's jaw dropped while Alvida almost erupted in fury, "L-Luffy! Repeat after me!" He grabbed his arm tightly, "Alvida-sama is the most…" And suddenly, images of his (hopeful) friend started flashing through his eyes. His strength. His conviction. His lack of fear. And then he saw himself. Abused. Kicked around. Terrorized.

Coby grit his teeth and turned to Alvida, "THE UGLIEST, MOST HORRIFYING BITCH I'VE EVER SEEN!" He roared out in defiance. Luffy erupted into hysterical laughter at the boy's words.

Alvida's teeth ground so hard her teeth cracked, "COBY!" She raised her massive mace in fury, ready to end the pink-haired blight in front of her.

Coby shuddered, but stared at his oncoming death with steel in his spine, ' _I…I did it! I fought against her!_ ' He gulped and screamed, "I have no regrets!"

Luffy moved in front of the bludgeon with his left hand raised, "Well said!" His smile was stupidly wide as he caught the heavy blow from the female pirate with that single raised hand!

"What!" Alvida gasped in shock, mirrored by Coby whose jaw dropped! He knew Luffy was strong, but _this_ strong?

"Grit those teeth!" The madly smirking Straw Hat Pirate formed a hard fist and nailed the rotund Alvida square in the jaw. The fat on her face billowed out for a moment from the point of impact, like a shockwave forming on her face. She let out as much of a moan of pain as she could, before lifting clean off her feet and getting blown away like a very un-aerodynamic rocket. She went tumbling ass over teakettle in the air, rapidly shrinking into the distance. Minutes later, one of her poor henchmen turned purple as he noticed her heading straight for him. His cry of fear was silenced as his mistress cannonballed on top of him.

Luffy smirked and held his fist up to his lips before blowing over it. He then glanced over to the still-standing pirates who were just staring at him in stupor and was about to demand a boat for him and Coby when the entire boat shook.

Twin geysers rose up near the boat, indicative of more cannon fire. Luffy clicked his teeth as he noticed the three Marine Battleships a ways away. "Tch! Those idiots!" He growled, "This is a civilian ship here! What the hell are they firing at!" Glancing at Coby – who was halfway between awestruck and horrified – he decided that he needed to get out of here. Remembering the girl who had been sneaking away, he grabbed Coby and threw him over his shoulder before jumping from the cruise ship to the pirate vessel anchored to it. He quickly raced off in the direction he'd seen the girl run and noticed her securing her sack to the small boat in a panicked hurry.

He jumped with Coby onto the boat, and the orange-haired girl let out a shriek of fear as she almost fell off the boat. Luffy grabbed her and steadied her, taking care not to let her or the sack fall over. "Who the hell are you!" She shrieked in panic.

"We can meet and greet after we're out of here. Shishishi!" Luffy laughed for a moment before the boat rose into the air on a swell from latest cannon fire. He turned hard eyes to the three Marine vessels, "Those idiots are going to sink the cruise ship along with the damn pirate ship!"

Growling, he place his right foot back and held his two hands facing each other at his sides. "What are you doi-" The girl cut herself off with a squeak of fear as golden, shining light and fire started forming between his hands, growing to roughly the size of a very large cannonball.

Luffy grinned and took aim, "Enten no…Kōen!" He roared and thrust his hands forward. The brilliant, blazing blast of flame rocketed forward at speed, racing towards the three panicking Marine ships. But Luffy hadn't been aiming _at_ the ships.

He was aiming _in_ _between_ them. Immediately upon impact, the great fireball exploded, sending superheating water upward in the largest jet any of them had ever seen. It easily outclassed the earlier blasts from both the Marine cannons as well as Alvida's cannons. It dwarfed the ships, making them seem tiny in comparison. And when the large amount of water started crashing down, it generated a huge tsunami! The ships were picked up and carried off in different directions with panicking Marines holding on for dear life.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed at his victory, holding out a peace sign.

"That was too much!" The girl roared with shark teeth out, almost hyperventilating as she saw the – shrinking, but still quite large – tidal wave approaching their tiny boat, "You're going to hit us too!"

"Oops!" Luffy sweatdropped as they were picked up and tossed away from the ships, almost capsizing. Nami and Coby were hugging each other with tears streaming down their terrified faces.

"YOU IDIOT!"

 **-]|[-**

"I thought I was going to die." The girl muttered tearfully as she cradled her treasure. Coby was staring blankly at the sky as if he had already given up the ghost. They had gone scot free. The Marines were nowhere in sight, the sun was shining and the sea was calm. She huffed a sigh out, before smiling slightly, "Still, I got a lot of treasure out of it!" She said the last part mostly to herself, though Luffy heard her anyway.

"Shishishi, that was fun!" Luffy exclaimed before promptly taking a fist right to the head courtesy of an angry orange-haired girl. "Ow! What was that for!"

"You almost got us killed!" She screamed in a demonic tone, waving her smoking fist in front of him. She slumped over and lounged on her bag, "I'm Nami!" She introduced herself, all traces of anger gone.

Luffy grinned, "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! This wimpy-looking guy is Coby." Said wimpy-looking guy slumped over in depression.

Nami smiled and gave him a high five, "Well, you certainly helped our getaway, even if it was terrifying." She glared, "Don't do that again!" Suddenly she was all smiles again, "Still, you are pretty strong!" She exclaimed brightly.

"Shishishi! I worked hard!" Luffy confirmed, clamping a hand onto his bicep.

Nami smiled and leaned over, exposing her cleavage a tiny bit more. Luffy's eyes didn't dip in the slightest, disappointing Nami somewhat, "I'm a thief who robs pirates of their treasures!" She exclaimed, "I could use a guy like you helping me! I'm the best damn navigator in the seas and I need some strong people helping me take treasure!" She grinned, "Shall we be partners?"

Luffy slumped back, "Nah. Not interested."

Nami's smile dipped, "Aww, don't be like that! We could get a lot of money!" She said enticingly. Luffy ignored her. She scowled, "Fine." She muttered to herself and crossed her arms under her enticing bust, "So, what are you out on the sea for?"

Coby – who had seemingly revived – was sweating buckets. ' _Don't-be-an-idiot! Don't-be-an-idiot! Don't-be-an-id-_ '

Only Luffy's wide smile was visible from under his straw hat. He pumped a fist up, "I'm going to be the Pirate King!" He declared loudly.

To the avowed Pirate Thief. To the now furious-looking avowed Pirate Thief. She growled, "So, you're a scumbag pirate are you!" She hissed, "Everything in this era is pirate this and pirate that! I hate it!" She pointed at him, "I hate pirates! I should just toss you overboard!"

Coby gasped. Luffy looked at her seriously for long enough that she started to sweat, suddenly remembering the giant attack he'd used earlier. Suddenly, Luffy spoke calmly, "You can't do that."

She sneered, putting on a brave face full of false-bravado even as she tried not to tremble, "Oh? And why not?"

Luffy stared at her intensely, deep into her eyes. Nami started feeling even more uncomfortable, "I'll die!" Luffy said.

Nami and Coby slumped to the wooden floor of their boat in loud crashes. Nami mumbled, "This…this guy is a moron…"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, having successfully diffused the situation.

"And why would you die?" Nami managed to ask after getting back to her sitting position.

"I ate the Akuma no Mi!" Nami and Coby gasped, "I became a Sun Man! Shishishi!"

"Waitwaitwait! You mean those actually exist!" Nami stammered in shock. "I thought they were just a myth!"

Luffy chuckled, "No, they're real alright." He grinned, "A pirate crew had used my town as a base and they brought it with them after one of their voyages." He smiled gently, looking at the sky and remembering the memory, "I thought it was just a dessert that they had brought with them, and when this asshole Mountain Bandit showed up I ate it while I was distracted." He laughed, "Man, that thing tasted so bad. It was like someone had mixed ashes with week old eggs and dog crap." Nami and Coby turned green.

Nami shook herself, "Man, what did those pirates do to you when they found out you had eaten it? Even though most people thought they were just legends, I still heard that even a single Devil Fruit can go for hundreds of millions on the black market. They must have been so angry…" She whispered, "I'm surprised you're even still alive." She waited to hear how he had escaped. He had to have escaped right? There was no way he could have gotten off scot-free for essentially stealing from pirates. She waited for confirmation of his suffering. Maybe they were kind of alike in that regard?

Luffy snorted, "Yeah, they were pissed alright. Pissed I had permanently given up the chance to ever swim." Nami and Coby gaped in disbelief. Luffy grinned at them, seeing the utter shock in both their eyes, "Not _all_ pirates are scum. We were all good friends. We even had a great celebration afterwards. And before they left for good, their Captain even gave up something precious to save my life." He looked back at the sky, "I miss them a lot." He drifted off to sleep, not seeing the look in Nami's eyes.

She turned her head away, not wanting Coby to see her gritting teeth and glinting eyes.

What were supposed to say to worldview-shattering statements like that? What were you supposed to say to the knowledge that you'd just had shit luck?

 **-]|[-**

When Luffy next awoke, it was already in the dead of night. The boat was calmly sailing onward, but both of the other two members of the boat seemed to be asleep. Coby was sleeping like the dead, while Nami was shivering and tossing around. Luffy smiled and took off his shirt before walking over to her. He draped the shirt over her form in an attempt to warm her.

He turned to go back to his spot, when he heard her voice behind him, "You're awfully brave, sleeping like that near someone who threatened to drown you." He turned and stared at Nami, who apparently had been awake. Despite her hatred of pirates, she was still cold and the day's earlier conversation had shaken her.

Luffy grinned, "You didn't seem like a bad person." She averted her eyes, "You've had some bad things done to you by pirates, haven't you?" She looked away fully. He sat right beside her, "I hate pirates like that too." He said seriously, getting her eyes to snap onto his, "Picking on the weak. Lording it over others. Hurting others. Hurting their _comrades_." He growled, heckles raised high. All he could see in his mind's eye were those mismatched teeth, tanned skin, and those cornrows, "I hate bastards like that too. That's not what being a pirate is about."

Nami sneered halfheartedly, "Of course it is. That's how all pirates are."

Luffy grinned, "Sure they are. Next I suppose you'll tell me all Marines are good, right?" He laughed at the girl. "You saw what those Marines back there-" he jerked his head in the direction they came from, "-did when they found us. They just started blasting away, uncaring if they hit the cruise ship. Anything to catch pirates right?"

Nami looked away, biting her lip. He sighed and got up, "You can't paint everyone with the same brush. Are a whole load of pirates out there destroying things and giving the rest of us a bad name? Yeah, there are." He said seriously, "They're the ones who will never make it anywhere. The ones who have to bully others to make themselves seem strong. To make them feel better about themselves."

With that, he fell back where he had originally been and was out like a light. Nami stared at his direction for a moment, before clutching his shirt tighter and trying to fall asleep herself.

 **-]|[-**

The next day dawned bright and beautiful, getting a pleased moan out of a no-longer-cold Nami. She stretched like a cat and a large smile, enjoying the sun starting to shine down on them. She and Coby shared a small breakfast in silence, each stealing glances at the still sleeping Luffy. Finally, Nami sighed before going and shaking the man awake, "Hey, wake up. We have some breakfast here."

The snot bubble he'd been unconsciously blowing popped, and he went from fully asleep to fully awake in the blink of an eye. He sprang up, just barely missing Nami's head with his own as he stood and looked around wildly. Nami had fallen to the boards as she dodged Luffy's head, and glared at him from her seat, "What the hell was that!" She roared at him with a trembling finger pointed in his direction, "You almost hit me!"

Luffy rubbed his head sheepishly, "Sorry about that. I'm kinda trained to wake up instantly and attack."

She scoffed, "Why the hell would you do that?" Coby looked interested in his answer.

Luffy chortled out loud, "Shishishi. Well, if I didn't get up instantly like that I was usually in for a whole world of hurt. My grandpa certainly didn't pull any punches while he was training me." His eyes were far away, and some purple showed on his countenance. "If I didn't wake up when called the first time, I'd find myself falling into a canyon. Or put into a weather balloon and sent into the sky. Or tossed into a tiger pit."

With each listing, Nami and Coby paled, "Wh-wh-what the hell! Who does that! Why would he do that to his own grandson!" They both screamed in horror. Luffy's smile dimmed and he looked out at sea, recalling the events that had led up to his first truly serious request for training. Coby and Nami could instantly read the mood, and Nami's teeth ground inside her mouth as she recognized the look on his face. How could she not? She had the same look whenever she thought of her mother, "Luffy, if you don't want to tell us-"

"Nah, It's fine." Luffy sighed, "Unfortunately, the awesome pirates that stayed with me for a year and ended up giving me my Devil Fruit weren't the only pirates I met. Their actions indirectly led to the death of one of my sworn brothers." His audience gasped, "After that, I begged my grandpa to train me for real, the next time he came around. The old guy was ecstatic." He laughed, "He always wanted me to be a Marine, and he thought I had finally cracked."

Coby gasped, and Nami's outlook of him seemed to darken, "You tricked your own grandpa!?" He yelled, "How could-"

"Nah." Luffy waved him off with a laugh, "He knew full well I still intended to be the Pirate King. I made sure he knew that. Old fart probably thought he could change my mind, even though I constantly denied it."

Nami sighed and smirked, "So, who is this grandpa of yours anyway?"

"Monkey D. Luffy." Luffy grinned.

"That's your name." Nami deadpanned.

"Think about it." His grin grew wider. Nami looked confused, trying to think up a reason for him giving her his own name. A loud noise – like a body had fallen – drew her attention.

Coby had fallen to the wooden floor of the boat in a thump, "N-no way." He trembled and stared at Luffy in utter shock.

"What is it Coby?" She asked curiously.

Coby stood and pointed a trembling finger at him, "There's just no way!" Luffy laughed heartily in response, "Your grandpa is Monkey D. GARP? The Hero of the Marines?!"

Nami's brain stopped working as she worked her jaw. She stared at Luffy but didn't see him. Finally, she rebooted and stared at the black haired-boy who was howling with laughter, "NO WAY!"

"You better believe it!" He chuckled, before realizing he was hungry, "Hey, what's for breakfast? I'm starving!" He immediately grabbed one of the pieces of bread on the plate Nami had set out and started munching away.

Nami shook her head and formed an X with her arms, "No way! You're not allowed to switch gears like that! You don't get to drop a bomb like that and then just go stuff your face!" Luffy continued his weird laugh even as he stuffed his third loaf of bread into his maw. She shook herself and fell back onto her bag of treasure, "Ah, what do I even care? I'll never see you again after we get to this next island anyway." She muttered, before tearing a chunk out of her own piece of bread.

"Why not?" Luffy asked seriously, getting her to look at him in surprise, her mouth slightly open showing a bit of the bread, "We should be friends! Shishishi."

She scoffed, but didn't look sure of herself anymore, "No way. You're a pirate." She muttered weakly.

Luffy ignored her, grinning that infectious grin of his, "Yeah, that's a great idea actually!" He pointed his finger at her, "You should be my navigator!"

"I already said no!" She yelled with her shark teeth out.

"I refuse your refusal!" Luffy declared as if the matter was decided, and before she could get another word in edgewise he suddenly asked, "Hey, where are we going anyway?"

Nami shook her head with a bemused – and chagrined – look, "Well, we're headed for Shells town."

Coby stiffened, "Isn't that where Pirate Hunter Zoro is?"

"Huh, the whale mentioned that guy too." Luffy mused. Nami stifled a snicker. Alvida had been quite large hadn't she? "Is he weak? Must be if he got captured."

Coby shook his head frantically, "Nononono! Pirate Hunter Zoro is said to be a monster in human skin! He's never missed a mark!"

"Shishishi." Luffy grinned brightly, "I wonder what he's like."

"What are you thinking in that head of yours?" Nami frowned, not quite liking the glint in his eyes.

"Well, I was thinking." Luffy's grin grew, "If he's a good guy, I'll recruit him!"

Silence.

"WHAAAAATTTT?"

 **-]|[-**

"We made it!" Luffy cheered with his arms in the air.

"Of course we did." Nami scoffed arrogantly, "I said I was the best navigator around, didn't I?" Still, Luffy's legitimate excitement was kind of amusing, "You still determined to go through with that hare-brained scheme of yours?"

"Let's go eat!" Luffy declared, ignoring Nami's question, which ticked her off.

"We just had breakfast an hour ago." Coby stammered.

Nami sighed as Luffy just took off, "What a glutton. He better pay." She followed with Coby pulling up the rear. Around forty-five minutes later, Luffy was contentedly patting his own stomach, while both Coby and Nami had pleased grins. "That was good food." She sighed in contentment. She had switched clothes, now wearing a white shirt with blue stripes on it as well as an orange skirt with white and brown circles on the sides.

Luffy grinned, "Yeah it was." He turned to Coby, "So, this is where we'll part ways, coward." Once more, a figurative arrow of cowardice speared into the boy's back and dropped him, "You do your best to become a Marine!"

Coby smiled, "I will!" He had tears in his eyes which he hid with his arm, wiping vigorously, "I owe you so much! Thank you Luffy! You'll have to become a great pirate too! Even though we'll be enemies!" He finished.

Nami had a surprised look on her face, "Marine? Enemies? I thought you two were together." She stated.

"Nah, coward here wants to become a Marine. He was captured by the whale and forced to be her cabin boy." He stood, getting the other two to do the same, "I wonder if Zoro is still at the base." He mused. Pandemonium erupted in the quaint little restaurant as every other patron practically started climbing the wall in their fear. "Oro?" He looked confused.

Coby whispered to the two, "Looks like we can't mention Zoro's name around here." He stopped whispering to relay another bit of info, "I saw a notice on the streets before we came in. Apparently a 'Captain Morgan' is the commanding officer here." This time, people actually did scramble up the walls in their rush to get away, knocking over tables and smashing glass. Coby looked shocked at their reactions, "Wha-what's going on? Why would they be afraid of a Marine Captain's name too? I could understand Zoro! He's a criminal and could escape at any time!"

Luffy shook his head, "I told you the world isn't black and white." While he said it to Coby, the one that actually had the statement resonate was Nami, who bit her lip. "Let's go to the base!" He sped off, leaving them behind.

Nami groaned, "He's lucky I have to scope the base out myself, otherwise he'd never see me again." She ran off after him.

They found Luffy at the entrance of the Marine Base. Luffy grinned, "Well, here you go Coby! It's your time to shine!"

Coby poked his index fingers together, "B-but I'm not ready yet. Plus the incident at the restaurant got me thinking…" He was saying, only to realize neither Luffy nor Nami were listening. Both had climbed up onto the wall, each looking for entirely different things. "You won't find anything like that.' He declared.

"Actually, I saw someone tied up that way!" Luffy countered his statement and ran off. Coby sweatdropped, seeing his not-navigator follow him.

He found them a ways away, looking into the courtyard. He slowly climbed his way up to them, struggling to get up the edge, but as soon as he did he fell off with a gasp. "Th-that's him! That black bandana and the cloth around his waist! It's him! It's Roronoa Zoro!"

The monster in question was tied up to a cross-post. He had light-green hair which was mostly covered by a really dark-green bandana. He wore a white shirt and black pants with a fat green haramaki over his stomach. He had three identical piercings on his left ear. His arms were over the post's arms, and he was secured with rope. His feet were merely dangling. Luffy rubbed his head, "That's Zoro? Those ropes look pretty easy to break to me."

Coby gasped as he quickly hauled his way up in his panic. The boy seemed to have some hidden strength when he actually wanted to use it, "Don't joke like that! He could escape and even kill you!"

Luffy snorted, "I'm way too strong for that." He didn't sound arrogant as he said it. His intonation was one of a person stating facts.

Coby almost fell off once more, ' _He's hopeless._ '

Both Coby and Nami jumped slightly when the sound of wood hitting stone sounded off near them. They looked over along with Luffy and saw that a ladder had been placed near them. A small, black haired girl shushed them when she made it to the top of the ladder. She then made her way over the wall clutching something. Coby panicked, "Luffy! Get her before he hurts her!"

"You get her." Luffy threw back, getting a glance and a frown from Nami. Luffy ignored them both and watched in interest.

Zoro eyed her in confusion, "What are you doing here?" He asked roughly, as if he hadn't used his voice in ages. "You want to die? Get lost." He grunted.

"Ah!" She squeaked, before revealing what she was carrying. They were rice balls! "I made you some rice balls, Zoro-aniki! You haven't eaten in a long time right?" She looked at him shyly, "This is the first time I've made rice balls so-"

Zoro interrupted the girl angrily, "Get out of here! I'm not hungry!"

The girl looked sad, "But-"

"Go! Or else I'll kill you!" Zoro threatened.

All three of the teens near the wall were frowning heavily. Nami scoffed, "Still want to recruit this guy?"

But before Luffy could get a word in, someone else appeared inside the base. It was a tall, skinny, lanky looking boy in a purple suit. He had this very strange, oval-shaped bowl cut with the bangs parted, "So rude. You better not pick on little kids, Roronoa Zoro, otherwise I'll have to report you to my father." The insincerity in his voice was practically oozing, and it made Nami's skin crawl.

"Someone from the Marines." Coby sighed in relief, "She should be safe now." Even Nami tore her eyes away from the scene to give Coby an incredulous look at that one. Hadn't he been paying attention to anything since they arrived in this town? Didn't he see this guy was practically the definition of a sleazeball?

Zoro apparently agreed, "Tch. If it isn't the Captain's bastard son?"

"Bastard?" The blonde looked unimpressed, "My dad's a Marine Captain. Don't get cocky." He turned his attention to the child in the situation, "Hello little girl. Oooh, a rice ball! Don't mind if I do!" He grabbed one of the onigiri from the girl and bit into it, ignoring all of her protests. He choked, spitting out all the rice, "Blergh! What the hell is this? Sugar? You put salt into onigiri, you dumb brat! Salt!"

"B-but I thought it would taste better if it was sweet!" She stammered sadly.

"How could someone eat something like this?" He grabbed the other rice ball and threw it onto the floor before stating to stomp on it!

"No! Stop it! He won't be able to eat it anymore!" She got to her knees to reach for the balls, but was afraid of getting her fingers stomped and pulled back with tears in her eyes.

Nami and Coby gasped at his treatment of the poor girl. "How cruel!" Luffy's eyes were shadowed.

She started crying, "That's so mean." She sniffled, "I tried so hard." She whispered brokenly.

The asshole gripped her face, "Don't cry. Pff, it's no wonder I hate brats." He pointed to a sign, "It's all your fault you know." He sneered, "Can't you read? ' _Anyone caught helping a prisoner shall be charged with the same crime._ ' You know how scary my dad can be, don't you?" he leaned over and grabbed her chin in fake sympathy, "If you were older you'd have gotten the death penalty, you know?" He let her go and turned to one of the Marines with him, "Toss her over the fence."

"B-but she's just a little girl, sir!" The Marine stammered in shock.

The blonde brat grabbed him by the lapel of his shirt, "Are you questioning my orders? Throw her out of here or I'll tell my dad!" He roared, spittle flying from his mouth.

The Marine walked off, saying, "Yes Helmeppo sir!" He reached the girl and gently picked her up. He whispered into her ear, "Just tuck into a ball and try to roll. It should minimize damage." And with that, he felt the girl steel herself with renewed tears before he tossed her.

Nami gasped as she saw the girl sailing over the fence. She wanted to catch her, but she had been tossed too far away. Suddenly, Luffy blurred into existence in her flight path and caught her without a word. He dropped gently to his feet and steadied the saddened, crying girl, before mussing up her air. The girl's watery grimace widened, before she burst into tears and wrapped her arms around Luffy. "Hey…" He said gently, "Don't cry. You're a strong girl right?" He started tickling her, getting watery giggles from her, "Go on home."

Nami had a somewhat stunned look as she watched the interaction, but as soon as she was gone Luffy's kind look vanished. He had this dark glint in his eye as he glared over at the wall. Helmeppo was gloating to Zoro, "Man, I didn't think you would have this kind of endurance."

Zoro sneered at the boy, "This is nothing. I'll last out the whole month. You better keep that promise."

Helmeppo laughed as he and his escort walked away, "Yeah, I'll keep it alright. If you can survive the whole month, that is."

Zoro closed his eyes and growled, "I hate that bastard." When he opened them again, Luffy was in front of him, "Who are you? Leave. Otherwise that brat will go cry to his daddy."

Luffy snorted, "You say that like it's a problem." Zoro smirked back as Luffy crouched down, "So, you're here for a whole month without food eh? I'd probably be clocking out after a couple days."

Zoro chuckled darkly, "That's why we're different. You need willpower to fulfil your dreams."

Luffy grinned, "Don't I know it." He measured the man up, "I'd like you to join my crew." He said with that wide grin of his.

"Crew? You a pirate?" Zoro asked in surprise.

"That's right." Luffy crossed his arms, "The future Pirate King, in fact."

Zoro laughed, "Not interested. Why don't you go find someone else to join you, you crook."

Luffy frowned, "There's nothing wrong with being a pirate."

Zoro grinned darkly, "Pirates are bad guys, aren't they? I'll never join you. I have my own goals to accomplish."

Luffy sighed, "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be here for a while." He walked away with a wave behind his back.

"Wait!" Zoro called out, getting him to turn around with a questioning look on his face. "That onigiri. Can you pick it up for me?"

Luffy did so, frowning, "What's wrong? Where did all that talk about willpower go?" He grinned, "This thing is mostly dirt now anyway."

"Doesn't matter." Zoro called, "Give it to me! I'll eat all of it." He opened his mouth wide. Luffy tossed it in with an eager look. Immediately, the man grimaced as he started chewing, visibly distraught. He broke out into a flop sweat and was clearly disgusted, a look mirrored by the watching Nami.

Luffy watched in interest, "You trying to kill yourself?"

Finally, he swallowed, looking like death warmed over, "' _It was delicious. The best thing I've ever eaten_.' Tell that little girl that, for me."

Luffy broke out into a wide grin and laughed his way over the wall. "That looked disgusting. I cringed even watching it." Nami looked a bit green at the gills.

Luffy smirked, "I want him on my crew. He's awesome."

Nami shook her head, "You're some kind of idiot aren't you? Didn't you hear what he said?"

"Oh, I heard fine." He laughed, "Let's go find that little girl and cheer her up." He walked off without another word.

Nami shook her head, "Cheering up little girls. What weird kind of pirate is this guy?" She mumbled to herself before following. She already had the base scoped out, so she didn't really need to be here right now.

Back in town, they found Luffy talking with the very animated girl inside the restaurant, "Ah! He ate everything?" She looked so happy.

"He did Rika." Luffy confirmed, "He told me to tell you it was delicious."

"I don't understand." Coby said as they reached the pair and sat down, "Isn't he supposed to be some kind of monster?"

"NO!" Rika screamed, "Aniki is the nicest! He never did anything wrong!"

"Why is he locked up then?" Nami asked over from her seat.

She looked down, "It's because of me." She teared up, "That jerk Helmeppo had a wolf that he used to terrorize the town!" She exclaimed angrily, "It came here to mom's restaurant with him and started scaring all the customers! It almost attacked me before Aniki sliced it up! But he told Aniki he would have me and mommy executed for it, and made a deal with him!"

"That's horrible!" Nami exclaimed, "Why haven't the Marines done anything about him?"

Rika growled and balled up her little fists, "He's Captain Morgan's son. Everyone's too afraid of him." She looked down and let her tears spill, "And now aniki is starving there because he saved me. And he punches and kicks aniki while he's tied up! I hate the Morgans! They're all bad! But everyone's too scared to fight them!"

The door slammed open then, revealing the golden-haired bastard himself. "I'm sure hungry." He sneered at Rika's mother, "We'll be eating here for free, got it? Hurry up and bring some alcohol! What's taking so long?" He looked directly at Rika's mother then, "Oh, and since I'm bored, I've decided to execute Zoro tomorrow." Little Rika gasped. "Look forward to it, everyone!" He then began laughing raucously.

But Luffy had enough. He stood up with his hat shadowing his eyes. "O-oi Luffy…" Nami whispered and tried to grab his arm, but he moved away too quickly. She and Coby tried to make themselves seem small.

Luffy ran forward at Helmeppo's laughing form and – before the two Marines escorting him could even react – he buried his fist directly into the blonde's face. Helmeppo's head whiplashed so hard that the rest of his body lifted clean off the chair and he rocketed into the wall before breaking right through it and rolling into a heap outside of the restaurant. Everyone else inside the restaurant stared at him in utter shock as he grabbed the faces of both the Marines and flung them bodily right through the newly remodeled exit.

Helmeppo was seeing stars. The earth was spinning. He was having to grip into the dirt to make sure he didn't fall off the earth. That was how punch-drunk he was. When everything steadied, he saw a few of his own teeth, blood, and his men on the floor. The one who had punched him walking towards him silently, "Wh-who the hell are you!" He roared, before wincing at the pain it caused, "Do you know who I am?"

"You're garbage, that's who you are." Luffy snarled.

Helmeppo looked to be near tears, "I'm Captain Morgan's son!" He yelled, "I'll have you executed for this!"

Luffy looked like he wanted to unload another punch into the brat's skull, but Coby wrapped his arms around him in an attempt to keep him from doing so, "Why don't you do something about it instead of running to daddy, you little brat?" The Marines groaned and grabbed Helmeppo before running off in terror.

"Man, you're sure a hasty one." Nami whined as she came to stand with the two, "Now the base is probably going to be crawling with Marines. How am I supposed to get in now."

Luffy snorted, "Oh, you'll be fine. I'll probably break in just to break this Morgan guy's jaw."

"You will?" She perked up, smiling at him.

"Of course." He walked off, "I'm not leaving without my swordsman, after all."

She chuckled, "If you can even get him to agree."

"I will." Luffy said, full confidence in his voice. Nami couldn't sense even a trickle of self-doubt in him. If she was honest with herself, she would say it made her a little excited. "We'll make sure to find you before we leave."

Nami's head snapped towards him, "Woah, hold on a minute. I never agreed to go anywhere with you after this!"

"Why not?" Luffy looked at her "We're friends aren't we?"

She snorted and blustered, trying to hide her blush, "Don't get ahead of yourself, pirate." She sneered, "You'll probably never see me again."

"Nah." Luffy grinned at her, "We will. You're our friend, after all."

"Just…just get out of here, you idiot." She mumbled, before splitting off from the main group.

 **-]|[-**

"I am great." A very large, muscular man stated from his comfy leather chair. He was covered in bulging muscles and had a large metal jaw replacing his human one. His blonde hair was cut very short.

"Y-yes! That is correct, Captain Morgan sir!" A hapless Marine confirmed his boss's words as he saluted.

"Then why…" The hulking man growled out, "Have the tributes to my greatness decreased these days?"

The Marine hadn't let go of his salute, and started stammering, "W-well sir, the incomes of our people have decreased lately."

"The problem isn't money." His voice was gravely, like two bricks sliding together, "The problem is they don't respect me! Isn't that right?"

But before the Marine could say a word, Helmeppo burst into the room panting like he had run a marathon, "D-dad!" He was audibly holding back tears, "There's someone I want you to kill!'

 **-]|[-**

Zoro was in the courtyard, eyes downcast and shadowed. But he wasn't worrying about his current situation. No, he wasn't even paying attention to his current situation, if he was honest. All he was thinking about was long behind him, but never forgotten. His mind filled with the sounds of bokken slapping and crashing against each other and flashes of a blue-haired girl.

" _Weak as always, huh Zoro?" The girl laughed brightly. She was holding her bokken out, tip near the downed Zoro's chin._

' _I made a promise._ ' He growled out to himself, ' _I can't die in a place like this!_ ' His eyes snapped open wide, before narrowing, "You again. You have too much free time."

Luffy looked serious, "I'm going to untie those ropes." He declared, "You're going to be my comrade!"

Zoro snorted, "Didn't you hear me last time, brat? I refuse! You want me to be a bad guy? You're annoying!" He looked away.

"What's wrong with being a pirate?" Luffy asked with his head tilted.

Zora looked back, "Pirates are scum. Who the hell would want to be one?"

Luffy grinned, "Why does that matter? Aren't you already known as a vicious, evil pirate hunter?" he asked slyly.

"I don't give a damn about what society says about me. Nothing matters except for my dream. I've never regretted anything." Zoro said calmly. He smirked viciously, "I will survive! I will do what I set out to do!"

"Is that so." He crossed his arms and had a silly look on his face, looking at the sky, "Yeah, but I've already decided you'd be my comrade."

"Idiot!" Zoro roared, "You don't decide that for others!"

"You use a sword right?" Luffy asked, glancing at his from the side.

"That's right." Zoro confirmed, "I'm going to be the Greatest Swordsman in the world!" He declared his intentions out to the world.

Luffy looked at him with that huge grin of his, "Well, that's good. The Pirate King would demand no less from his crew, right?"

"Pirate King?" Zoro burst out into laughter, "Yeah right!" He chuckled, looking at the still confidently-grinning Luffy, "Thanks, but no thanks. I already said I have no intention of joining you." He relaxed, "I'll last out the rest of this final week and leave on my own."

"Oh? How are you going to do that if Egghead is planning on executing you tomorrow?"

Zoro choked on what little saliva he had, "What was that?" He asked dangerously.

"You should know better than to trust sleazeballs like that asshole." Luffy chided, "He declared out to a fully loaded restaurant in the middle of the day that he was going to publicly execute you tomorrow."

Zoro's head dipped and his eyes shadowed, filled with a dark rage, "Is that so. That bastard."

"So, where's your sword, Mister Greatest Swordsman?" Luffy grinned.

Zoro growled, "That bastard brat took them. They're in the base."

Luffy grinned, "Good. I was looking forward to breaking daddy Morgan's teeth too." Zoro's smirk matched his, "I'll go get it and set you free. We'll be friends then, won't we?" Luffy turned to run at the base.

"Them." Luffy froze, and looked at him questioningly, "You'll find three. All are mine. I use Santoryu."

Luffy grinned in elation, "I knew you were badass!" He laughed before crouching.

He exploded forward, and Zoro's eyes bugged out as he started _hopping on the god damn air as if he could fly_ all the way up to the tallest tower. Zoro stared for a moment before slumping, "Kuina…what the hell have I gotten myself into?"

 **-]|[-**

"Good! Good! Now lift the statue! It's in the correct position! Lift it with one pull!" Morgan roared to his followers.

The Marines were struggling with the ropes and trying to haul the massive statue of Morgan to its feet. Helmeppo was behind his father still clutching his aching face, "Dad! Why aren't you helping me get revenge?" He whined at his far larger father, "He punched me in the face! Not even you have done that!"

Morgan didn't move, "And do you know why I've never punched you in the face?"

Helmeppo stopped, "We-" He swallowed somewhat nervously, "Well, it's because I'm your-"

"That's right." Morgan stated, "The reason I've never punched your face…" He suddenly whirled round and his fist rocketed towards Helmeppo. The younger boy went spinning through the air, spittle flying from his mouth before hitting the top wall of the base and crashing to the floor, "IS BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT WORTH HITTING."

Helmeppo sat in disbelief, tears leaking from his eyes. Morgan approached and hauled him up by the shirt with his axe hand, "Do not mistake yourself, my worthless son. I am the one who is great here! Not you!"

"Y-yes!" Helmeppo yelled in shock.

"There seems to have been a runt out in the execution field earlier." Morgan turned back to his statue.

The terrified Helmeppo trembled, "Y-yes! I took care of her!"

"She was executed then?" Morgan growled out.

"Wh-" Helmeppo shook, "No! She was just a little kid! Didn't even know what she was doing!"

Morgan growled and pointed to a hapless Marine, "You there! Go into town and finish the job!"

Everyone stared in shock, "But, but she's just a little girl, Captain!"

"It doesn't matter." He raised his axe hand and started walking to the Marine. His every step sounded like a tiny crash, "Anyone who disobeys me is a traitor!"

"I can't! She's just a little girl!" The Marine said as firmly as he could.

Morgan's eyes flashed, "You are a lieutenant are you not?" The Marine nodded in affirmation, "And the rank of lieutenant is below the rank of Captain, isn't it?" The marine nodded once more, "Then you have _no right to go against my orders! If I tell you to go,_ you will go!" He roared!

"I will not!"

"YOU TRAITOR!" Morgan's patience finally went and he raised his axe, bringing it down on the terrified Marine. Blood gushed from the wound and stained the floor as his former subordinate crashed down and did not move.

Helmeppo gasped, "Y-you didn't have to do that dad!" he stuttered while the rest of the Marines stared in shock at the fallen lieutenant.

Morgan scoffed, "I became a Captain because of this arm! Rank is everything! I have the highest rank in this base, so I am therefore the greatest person here! That is why everything I do is right! GREAT MEN DO NOT MAKE MISTAKES." He bellowed, "I will go down there myself. It has been too long since the citizens have had a reminder of that." Morgan relaxed amidst the salutes from everyone else, "But I shall do so later." He eyed his statue, "It took many, many years to create this magnificent statue. It is a symbol of my greatness! SO PUT IT UP AT THE TALLEST POINT OF THIS BASE!"

The Marines roared in their unwilling approval and redoubled their efforts to haul the statue up. One of the unfortunate men scratched the statue up against the side of the roof entrance, "I'm sorry!" he yelped in terror.

"You scratched my statue." Morgan said dangerously. "That means you don't respect me." He growled to the terrified man, "DIE!"

"Man, who cares if he scratched this ugly ass statue?" A new voice rang up. Luffy had heard every word and knew he had to mess with the power-mad idiot.

Jaws dropped all around as a vein bulged in Morgan's head. "WHAT WAS THAT!" He howled as he turned to look right at Luffy, who was standing on the stone Morgan's chest.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed at Morgan's impotent rage, "You must be some kind of stupid. Everyone knows you don't use stone for statues." Morgan was shaking in his rage and Luffy's grin widened under his straw hat, "Everyone knows you should use BRONZE!" With that final word yelled out, Luffy raised his right foot and slammed it onto the statue's chest. Everyone gasped in horrified shock as cracks started forming from the impact before the entire thing shattered from the waist up and started crumbling down to the courtyard.

Every single person wearing Marine colors on that roof gaped in shock, their faces purple and their eyes pure white. Helmeppo suddenly shook himself and pointed, "I told you dad! I told you he was a bad guy!"

But he didn't get to say any more as Luffy grabbed him by the face as started dragging him into the base, "Yeah, I'm going to need to borrow you. Come with me." He cackled in glee as they disappeared into the doors.

Morgan was apoplectic, "FIND HIM. FIND HIM AND BRING HIM TO ME. I WANT HIS HEAD!"

One of the Marines stammered out, "Captain, there's someone running into the courtyard!"

Morgan's veins were bulging. He growled darkly, "Traitors. More traitors! They just keep appearing!"

Inside, Nami was picking the lock of one of the doors when she heard a commotion. She looked over as saw Luffy dragging Helmeppo while being pursued by Marines. "Idiot." She muttered and continued trying to get the lock open.

"STOP DRAGGING ME!" Helmeppo cried out.

"I need Zoro's swords." Luffy said.

"They're in my room! We just passed it!" Helmeppo pointed behind them.

"Passed it? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Luffy punched him, getting another cry from the blonde wimp. He turned and saw the Marines holding them at gunpoint. He smirked and put Helmeppo in the way, "Go ahead and fire if you want."

"No, don't do it!" Helmeppo screamed. Luffy laughed and used Helmeppo as a battering ram to knock the Marines right over.

Nami almost had the lock picked when she was forced to scream in fear as a leg bowled past her head and kicked the steel door clean off its hinges. "Luffy you idiot! I almost had that open! There was no need!"

"Shishishi, well that was quicker wasn't it?" Luffy grinned, "What were you trying to get here anyway?"

Nami followed him in while they left the catatonic Helmeppo outside the door, "A map to the Grand Line." She smirked, "I'll be able to make a killing robbing people there." Luffy grinned as they turned to look at the safe on the wall, "Drat." Nami snapped her fingers, "That'll take me a while to open. It's a decent model."

Luffy looked at her dully, before pointing a finger. She gasped as it ignited into a blinding golden light. Luffy jabbed the finger at the safe's opening. Immediately, tiny sparks started flying out at them, forcing her to back away and shield her eyes. She gaped as he dragged it down the crevice as easily as if he were using a hot knife on butter. He pulled his finger away and she saw there was very little slag, as if he had been hot enough to simply cut through it. Luffy popped the now-permanently unlocked safe open, "One open safe, at your service."

Beli marks replaced her eyes, "I think I may actually keep you around." Both of them started lining their pockets with the cash inside.

Luffy laughed as she started quickly sorting through the various papers in a growing panic, "It's not here!" She yelped as she held up a single sheet of paper. It read, ' _It's my map now._ ' There was an image of a pirate Jolly Roger on it; A grinning skull with star-shaped cuts on the eye holes and a huge red nose. Nami growled, "The Buggy Pirates."

"Well, we have our heading then." Luffy grinned, already turning to break down Helmeppo's door directly opposite to the room they were just in.

Nami stared at him in surprise. "What's this we business?" She mumbled to herself. She ran a hand down her face, "He's a pirate. He's just faking." She continued mumbling to herself, but she had no confidence in her words.

Luffy grabbed the three swords and looked out the window. His eyes bulged as he saw Coby and Zoro being held at gunpoint. "Shit!" he yelled before grabbing a panicking Nami by the waist.

"Luffy what are you DOINGGGGGG!" Her final word was a shrill screech as she and Luffy simply vanished from the room.

 **-]|[-**

"If you help me, they'll kill you." Zoro said.

Coby had tears leaking from his eyes, "I don't care. I want to be a good Marine, and good Marines don't do this kind of thing!" Coby screamed as he struggled to untie the ropes. "I'm going to be a real Marine and fight for justice! Just like Luffy is determined to be the Pirate King!"

"So, he was serious about that?" Zoro smirked lightly.

"I was shocked when I first heard him say it." Coby confirmed as he finally loosened the rope slightly, "But he's determined! He'll bet his life on it!"

"Bet his life on it huh." Zoro's eyes were shadowed, but he was grinning. But then he grit his teeth and his eyes bulged in shock as Coby fell to the dirt screaming and clutching his bleeding shoulder. A split second later the tell-tale crack of gunfire hit their ears.

"AHH, I'M SHOT!" Coby cried.

Zoro growled, "Get out of here kid! They'll kill you!"

"No!" Coby yelled back as he struggled to his feet, "They'll kill you if I leave you here! And if I let you die to these scumbag Marines then I may as well give up on my dream! This isn't justice! Luffy is risking his own life for us; for people he hardly knows! I have to do the same!"

Zoro dipped his head in acknowledgment, ' _So, this is the kind of person that Straw Hat attracts huh._ '

"You don't have to become a pirate, but please help Luffy! You'll all be able to escape!" Coby screamed as he got back to the post and forced his trembling hands to resume their work on the knots.

"That's enough!" Two men roared as they cocked their guns, "You've betrayed Captain Morgan!" More men arrived with Morgan himself at their heels. All of them pointed their rifles at the two.

Morgan was walking forward with his loud steps echoing. He had his giant axe over his shoulder, "Roronoa Zoro. I've heard of you." He breathed. "But do not underestimate me. Before my strength, you are nothing.'

Zoro grit his teeth, ' _No, I can't die here I still have things I need to do! I must keep my promise!_ '

 **-]|[-**

" _Kuina wins! Zoro – who uses two swords – loses!" The match's proctor announced. "Kuina leads 2000-0!"_

 _Kuina giggled, "How pitiful. You're a boy and you lost…again."_

 _Three other boys screamed out in rage, "Zoro is the best! He's the strongest in our dojo! He can even beat adults!"_

" _Is that so?" Kuina smirked. She had her sword over her shoulder and was looking back at them, "He's still weaker than me. Even with two swords, it's useless."_

" _Kuina you fiend! You really make me angry!"_

" _Just because she's master's daughter, she likes to show off!"_

 _Zoro was gritting his teeth in anger. Their sensei was looking amused, "Lost again, Zoro? What a pity." The other boys were screaming at him and claiming that he had secretly trained her._

 _Zoro threw his two shinai down to the dirt, "Damn! Why can't I defeat her!"_

 _Their sensei chuckled, "Kuina is older than you, Zoro."_

" _That's bullshit! I can beat adults!" He closed his eyes and screamed out, "I want to set sail and become the number one Swordsman in the world! I'll never lose to anyone again!" The declaration made, he stomped off._

 _Later that night, Kuina was in the courtyard by herself practicing. She pushed herself to her limits under the watchful gaze of the full moon. She was panting with every swing, putting her all into becoming the best. Suddenly, she stiffened. "Zoro?"_

 _Zoro was there, gripping two live blades, "Kuina! Have a duel with me! I brought real swords this time!"_

 _She grinned, "Fine. Come on!" Both leapt at each other and clashed. The sounds of singing metal rang through the night, before one of Zoro's swords were knocked clean from his hands and flew through the air. Kuina swept him and her sword buried itself into the dirt near his head. She panted with a smile on her face. "That's 2001-0."_

 _Zoro covered his face, "Damn it!" Tears leaked from his eyes, "I can't believe this!"_

 _The two parted and sat at the steps of the dojo in silence, "Actually, the one who should be sad is me." Kuina said suddenly. Zoro's head snapped to her in shock. She had a bitter smile on her lips, "When a girl grows up, she'll have less physical strength than a boy." Her eyes started to well, "Don't you always say you want to be the world's best swordsman?" A single tear dripped, "Papa says a girl will never be the best. It's good that you're a guy. I'll never be able to do it." The floodgates finally opened. She clutched at her chest, "My boobs have started to grow. You're so lucky you're a boy."_

" _THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Zoro roared, almost shocking her off her seat, "You say this crap after you beat me!" He grabbed the shocked girl by her shirt, "That's unfair! You're my idol! My dream! I want to beat you! Does this mean that if I beat you someday it won't be because I'm stronger! Doesn't that crap make us all look like idiots?" He shook her, "Let's make a promise! No matter what, we will always fight to be the best! One of us MUST become the world's best! We'll fight for that goal together!"_

 _Kuina rubbed her tears away, "Idiot." Her voice shook in joy, "You lost to me. You can't be saying stuff like that." She grasped his hand in a firm shake, "I promise."_

 _But they never got to keep that promise. The very next day, Kuina tripped on a stray sword some idiot had left at the top of the stairs and broke her neck. Zoro had been beside himself in grief, cursing her name to the heavens for leaving him behind. All he had left to remember her was her blade, Wado Ichimonji._

 **-]|[-**

"Fire!" Morgan roared.

"Rankyaku!" Another voice roared. Luffy and a still-screaming Nami appeared in the sky above the Marine. Luffy grunted as he swung his leg, unleashing a devastating blade of wind with his kick. Every single rifle there split at their chambers and were rendered useless. The blade continued and gouged right into the ground.

They landed in front of a gaping Coby and Zoro. Nami had finally stopped screaming and stepped away from Luffy in awe, ' _No…no way! He cut them from far away with a kick! But that wasn't his Fruit's power? How strong is he! Maybe…_ ' She shook herself of that though. He wasn't _that_ strong.

"Shishishi, that's my swordsman and my coward you were trying to shoot." Luffy laughed. Coby slumped to the floor in depression.

"What was that!" Zoro roared in shock.

"Shishishi, I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!" He turned to Zoro and quickly tore the ropes off the post. Coby slumped even further at his ease in doing it. "Here are your swords! Shishishi." Zoro grabbed and holstered them eagerly.

Morgan growled, "This Straw Hat isn't normal." He cracked his neck, "He must have eaten one of those Devil Fruits." Captain or not, Morgan was a weakling. He knew nothing of the real techniques of the Marines. "Anyone who defies me must perish! CHARGE!"

The men drew swords and did so with loud battle cries. Zoro's eye glinted, He stepped from the post and drew all three blades, two in his hands and a single blade in his mouth. The three clashed with and easily blocked every single Marine blade, "None of you move if you want to live." He growled darkly. He eyed Luffy while the Marines trembled, "With this resistance, I'm officially an outlaw." He growled out, perfectly clearly despite the handle in his mouth, "I'll join your crew!" Luffy grinned and pumped his fists in the air. "Good guy…bad guy…it no longer matters! I'll be the world's greatest Swordsman! If you get in my way, I'll have to cut you until you apologize!"

"Shishishi, that's my line. I'm going to be the Pirate King! If you can't manage something that small I'd be embarrassed." He grinned confidently.

Beside them, Nami smiled and shook her head. ' _Bell-mere…what have I gotten myself into?_ '

Zoro twisted his blades and flung every man trying to kill him away. They all lost their blades as they hit the floor and rolled. One of them clutched his aching shoulder, "We can't beat these two Captain! They're too powerful!"

Morgan growled, "This is an order…any who had those thoughts will turn their guns on themselves and pull the trigger! I DO NOT NEED WEAKLINGS UNDER MY RULE." The trembling Marines shakenly pulled their pistols with tears in their eyes and held them to their heads.

Luffy's eyes were shadowed. Nami took a step back, "Oh shit!" She exclaimed and Coby gulped. Zoro looked at them strangely.

Luffy vanished in a burst of speed and before Morgan could even react, he took a monstrous right fist to the kidney from behind. He flew forward with a pained groan and his body dug a trench straight into the ground, coming close to the Straw Hats and Coby. Luffy appeared in front of him this time and stopped his momentum with a jaw-shattering kick. Even Morgan's metal jaw cracked. "Scum like you don't deserve so much as an ant to rule over." He said darkly.

Morgan hauled himself to his feet, panting as if he had run a marathon. "YOU DAMN BRAT!" He roared as he drew his axe up and sent it screaming towards the floor.

"LUFFY!" Nami, Zoro, and Coby screamed in shocked horror as the axe cleaved straight through their friend and split him right down the middle. Tears sprang to their eyes as the halves separated and started falling in opposite directions.

"No…" Nami whispered brokenly.

But something happened then, that they did not expect, "Shishishi!" Luffy's signature laugh sounded through the silent clearing. Morgan drew himself up roaring madly in hysterical pain. His axe – and part of his arm – were _gone_. Savage burns licked up his arm and the already cauterized wound dripped no blood. Luffy's two halves stopped falling as golden flames erupted from them. The flames connected and drew back into a single body, reforming into the Straw Hat wearing boy, "Sorry, Molken, but that won't work against me." He pulled back a fist, "Enten no…Tekken!" Luffy's fist ignited in golden fire that pushed him forward almost like an afterburner.

The punch landed square in the now-kneeling Morgan's chest. Ribs broke and blood flew from the huge man's mouth before the flame exploded out from his back. He fell to the floor – horrific burns on his back and his Captains Coat smoldering – and did not move again. Luffy pulled his fist back and raised it in front of his face, holding his bicep with his other hand. His eyes were shadowed but his grin was wide.

"What are you?" Zoro gasped.

Luffy turned and grinned brightly, "Oh, I'm a Sun man! I ate the Enten Enten Fruit."

Nami rushed to him and his eyes bugged as she raised her hand. BAM. Nami slapped him square across the face as hard as she possibly could. Luffy even spun once before crashing to the ground, "YOU ASSHOLE!" She screeched, "How could you do that to us?" Tears started licking at her eyes.

Luffy stared at her in shock, a red handprint blazng across his face, "Nami I-" He reached for her to apologize – though he didn't really know for what – but she didn't let him.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed before stomping away from them. Luffy looked entirely lost.

Before another word could be said, a hysterical cheer rang through the base, "Captain Morgan has been defeated! We're FREE!" Every single Marine there found another member to hug in celebration.

"Everyone here hated Morgan!" Coby realized and smiled happily.

Both he and Luffy gasped when Zoro keeled over, "Zoro!"

 **-]|[-**

"I said I was sorry." Luffy mumbled as best he could through his busted up mug. He'd been apologizing to Nami for the past half hour while feeding the black hole in his gut. "I did tell you I was a Sun man though, didn't I?"

"Idiot!" Nami's shark-face drilled a hole into him, "I didn't even think Devil Fruits were real until a day ago! How was I supposed to know that meant you could get cut in half and laugh it off!"

And that had been the gist of the past half hour. A lot of groveling and a lot of anger.

"MAN, I'M FULL!" Zoro stretched happily, "After three weeks, I was starving!"

"What happened to lasting the whole month?" Luffy poked fun at his swordsman.

The mint-haired man growled, "How the hell are you eating more than me? You're so scrawny." Indeed, Luffy was still stuffing his face, much to the hidden awe of practically everyone in the vicinity.

Coby was rubbing the back of his head ruefully, "Even I ate a lot…sorry."

Rika's kind mother simply smiled gently as she continued to clean her plates, "It's no problem! You're the town's heroes! Eat as much as you like!"

Rika herself was staring at Luffy in awe, "You're so strong, onii-san!"

Luffy grinned, his face magically repaired, "Yep. I sure am! And I'll only get stronger!"

Zoro put his drink down, "Oh right. What are we planning on doing next?"

"Grand Line!" Luffy pumped a fist into the air in excitement.

"Idiot!" Nami's fist bopped him in the back of the head for the hundredth time that day, "We're nowhere near ready for the Grand Line! We don't even have a ship or any of the other essentials! Plus, we don't even have a map yet!"

Luffy had an 'o' of realization, "Right! We need meat!"

"And booze!" Zoro pitched in.

Nami slumped in her seat in depression, "Why me? What did I do to deserve these two idiots." She wailed, ' _Why does the one pirate I've ever met who isn't a complete scumbag have to be such an idiot._ '

"We're heading for One Piece." Zoro said calmly, "It wouldn't hurt to head in that direction, right?" Coming like that, it almost sounded logical. Almost.

"Not you too, Zoro!" Coby moaned, "That sea is incredibly dangerous! All of the world's strongest pirates gather there! You can't be unprepared!"

Zoro sweatdropped as the body got closer to him, "Why are you so worried anyway? It's not like you're coming with us."

"So?" Coby asked heatedly, "That means I can't worry? Even though we just met, we're friends aren't we?"

"Shishishi, yeah, we're friends! And even though we won't be together, we'll always be friends!"

Coby looked incredibly bashful, "I never had friends growing up. But you guys taught me to live for my own dream! Even though we'll be enemies, I'll never forget that."

"And that's why we're heading for the Grand Line." Luffy affirmed.

"Too reckless." Coby bemoaned.

"You should be more worried about yourself." Zoro said before bumping his sword's hilt against the boy's forehead.

"Zoro's right." Nami sighed, "The Marine's intelligence agents are incredibly thorough. Even though you were kidnapped and forced into it, you were still a member of Alvida's crew."

The door banged open before they could get another word in. A bearded Marine was standing in the doorway, arms behind his back stiffly. He was clearly following regulations for whatever was about to happen, and did not look too happy about it. "Good day. I am sorry to interrupt, but we must know. Are you pirates?"

"Yep." Luffy confirmed.

Nami slapped her hand to her face. "Idiot. You're too blunt and honest." Despite herself, a small smile formed.

"I see." The Marine said after a deep sigh, "You all are this town's heroes! We will be eternally grateful for that!"

"I sense a 'but' coming." Nami mumbled. Luffy snickered in response.

The Marine nodded, "Indeed. As you are pirates, we cannot allow you to stay here any longer. We will not report you to Marine HQ, but you must go." The townspeople erupted in fury at the Marines! This was disgraceful! They couldn't kick their heroes out! They could sense the trouble brewing, so Luffy did what he needed to do.

Luffy got up, his chair scraping. "That's fine." Zoro and Nami got up and followed without as much as a glance at Coby.

"Hold on." The Marine said, "Isn't this kid with you?"

Luffy stopped before turning back, "Him? Nah. I know what he used to do though." Coby and Nami's eyes widened, "I saw him on this reaaaaalllyy fat whale's ship. I think her name was Albida or something."

' _What is he doing!_ ' Nami screamed in her head, ' _Why is he doing this!_ '

' _Stop!_ ' Coby screamed in his, ' _I'll never be a Marine if you don't stop! If they know I worked on a pirate ship, they'll never let me join!_ ' "Stop…" He trembled.

"It was this really fat pirate's ship. This guy here spent two yea-"

"SHUT UP!" Coby roared, punching Luffy as hard as he could in the face. Luffy flew back, but Nami was tall enough and close enough to see the grin on his face under his Straw Hat. Neither she nor Zoro said a word, but they smirked in realization.

Luffy righted himself with that roguish grin on his face and retaliated. "You deserve a beating for that!" His fist rocketed into Coby's jaw and sent the poor boy spinning through the air.

Nami's smile became strained, ' _Idiot. He's going overboard again._ '

"STOP!" The Marine yelled, "It is clear this boy is not with you! Please leave this town immediately!"

' _He did it for me. He wanted to make me mad! Wanted to make me hit him!_ ' Coby had to fight very hard not to tear up as his friends left the building, ' _Even now, he's watching out for me!_ ' He sat up, ' _I'm such an imbecile! I'm so damn_ useless _! I can't waste this chance they've given me!_ '

Zoro grinned menacingly at the Marines around the building, "What's wrong? Didn't you want to arrest me?"

Inside, Coby got up and bowed, "Please! Let me join the Marines!"

Another man in uniform chimed in, "Commander, I am against it! His past is unclear, and pirates have been known to plant spies!"

"NO!" Coby yelled, "MY DREAM IS TO BE A MARINE!"

The Commander stared at him intensely, "Don't think we don't know of your past as a pirate. You underestimate our power!" Coby's heart broke and his face sagged. It was all for naught, "But I will still allow you to join us."

Coby's face lit up, "SIR! YES SIR!" He stood stiffly and saluted with the back of his hand facing outward.

 **-]|[-**

The budding Straw Hat Pirate crew reached the docks with grins on their faces, "Nice act Luffy." Zoro clapped him on the back as Nami went about getting the ship ready to sail.

"You didn't have to hit him that hard though." Nami chided.

"Shishishi." Luffy merely laughed. "It'll be a good lesson for Coward. Pirates won't take it easy on him." She shook her head in bemusement.

Nami yelled, "We're ready to go! Get on already!"

As they sailed away, Coby's voice rang out one last time, "Luffy! Thank you! I'll never forget you for the rest of my life!" He saluted them. Nami was stunned as more Marines materialized behind the boy, their stances mirroring his.

"Coby! We'll meet again someday!" Luffy waved as the group of Marines shrank more and more.

"Marines saluting pirates." Nami mumbled.

"Now I've seen everything." Zoro finished.

"You have great friends." The Commander said to Coby. He only got a shaken nod from him, "MEN! We have just saluted pirates and violated the code of the Marines! As punishment, we shall not eat for the rest of the week!"

"Sir! Yes Sir!"

 **-]|[-**

 **And that's a wrap.**

 **Jeez, what a monster of a chapter. It was just barely shorter than** _ **Breath of the Inferno's**_ **first chapter, I believe, at a whopping 21749 words, not counting these author's notes. Please everyone, let me know what you think. Drop a review if you have the time. Tell me if you think I fucked up somewhere.**

 **A small note: I'm perfectly aware that stars are not made of fire. Remember that Luffy is both seven and kind of an idiot. We'll be going with the simplistic explanation. Just imagine him being made of lightsabers and Gundam Beam Spam^(TM).**

 **Also, as you may be able to tell, I did take a fair number of attack names here from other manga and adapted them. I'm afraid I don't know Japanese personally, so I had to work a bit with translators and a bit with other works to get the names. If anyone reading is fluent in Japanese, I would very much appreciate some help translating attack names. Translating programs work, but they certainly aren't optimal.**

 **If anyone can think up of a better name for Luffy's Sun Fruit, please let me know. Enten is what I got out of a translation, and it told me it meant 'Scorching Sun.' I rather like the name myself, but maybe one of you has a better idea. Plus, it doesn't really tie in with the 'simple' naming conventions of the other fruits. Or at least the English for it doesn't.**

 **Remember to give me crew member and pairing suggestions. Again, I won't automatically agree, but if you can put up a good argument I will certainly consider it.**

 **The next chapter will likely be a lot shorter than this one. I only really want to handle Buggy and Usopp in it, so it shouldn't be as monstrous of a chapter. I imagine it will only be delayed if I have a hard time deciding what to do with Kaya. I'm leaning more towards her not being a crew member, but she is pretty cute with Usopp. Still, that may not be enough to push her over. If she does end up joining, I even have a Devil Fruit planned for her. Otherwise, that'll just go into the box.  
**

 **Primordial out!**


	2. Buggy Doesn't Know

**Hey everyone! Here is chapter two!**

 **So, I have a request/challenge for you guys. I want you to try to come up with ONE Devil Fruit that gives the single most bullshit overpowered ability you can think of. It does need to respect standard Devil Fruit weaknesses though. Mizu Mizu is _too_ easy. ALSO, come up with the most USELESS DF you can think of. Should be an amusing experiment. Haha**

 **Also, I had an idea for a MUCH less serious parody-esque fic. There is a fan theory out there - based on Blackbeard's Jolly Roger design – that the reason he can survive having more than one fruit is because he actually has three stomachs. Luffy definitely eats enough for three stomachs. Hilarity ensues, including Garp's eyes bugging out as Luffy tells him about his Gomu Gomu while casually chewing on another Fruit.**

 **On the story itself, no one actually mentioned this, but you'll probably be able to tell with this chapter. I will be mixing up both English and Japanese (and likely others) for technique names and the like. The anime and manga mix up multiple languages, so I see no reason not to follow. That said, I would still like someone who knows Japanese to do attack translations for me, if anyone is willing. Whether I use Devil Fruit or Akuma no Mi will really depend on what I feel like typing at the time, though Fruit Powers will be stricter.**

 **Now, I got a few reviews – not many, but a few nonetheless – asking me about Luffy's Fruit's name, and they provided some examples about what I could change it to. I don't know if I simply had a bad translation, but when I was searching for names for the fruit, Enten translated out as "Scorching Sun." As someone else told me, that can also (or actually) translates to "Burning Heaven." While I did appreciate it, the more I thought about it, the more I think Enten actually makes sense. After all, what is a star if not a burning ball of plasma in the heavens? If anyone else has an opinion, go ahead and sound off.**

 **Also, some people were concerned about Luffy (or anyone in the fic actually) killing. Let me first assure you that Luffy will never be the kind of malicious person who can kill and not even lose a wink of sleep over it. That said, you can't have a power like** _ **Solar Plasma**_ **and** _ **not**_ **have a few under your belt. Sorry if that turns some of you off, but that's just how it is. I'm firmly on the more idealist side of the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism, but One Piece is NOT all ponies and rainbows.** _ **All**_ **of the main cast has** _ **some**_ **sort of dark past, and the Tenryubito are probably as far down the "complete-monster" scale as you can get without getting into the realm of bathing in the blood of innocents. That's just how things are. Don't worry though. I only have** _ **one**_ **(possibly two)** **confirmed kill(s) on the pipeline at the moment out of the entire series, though we'll see how the story evolves. Also, Morgan is not dead, if any of you thought he was.**

 **I'd like to thank all of you who gave crew suggestions, even if the majority of you will be disappointed. The expansion will only really happen past East Blue. I don't have anyone on the docket from East Blue for this story at least, but you do have until Logue Town to change my mind. Kaya has – unfortunately – been mostly ruled out. I was already leaning more to the negative on her, and a few of you raised the same negatives I was contemplating myself.**

 **I don't usually like using Caps Lock on my stories, but god damn, it just fits One Piece so damn well. Sorry if it gets annoying guys, but I just really feel it's actually appropriate for once.**

 **Finally, THANK YOU for all of your reviews! I didn't expect to even get close to Breath of the Inferno, but we did. Thank you guys! Really!**

 **I don't have much else to say for right now, so I'll just get right at it.**

 **-]|[-**

"Oi, Luffy." Zoro called out, "You said you were a Sun man right?"

"Yeah?" Luffy looked confused at the random question from his swordsman. The trio had been sailing for roughly a day, and Nami had already started wanting to pull her hair out. Zoro ate a lot, but Luffy was like a black hole. She had packed enough provisions for what she thought would be two weeks back in Shells Town, but they were already starting to run low. It was absurd!

"So how did you do all those other things? I didn't know being the Sun let you cut things with a kick." Zoro deadpanned.

"Shishishi! Oh, that was something my grandpa trained me in!" Luffy chuckled, and started snapping his fingers with a look of strain on his face, "It was the…err…roku…roku-something." Finally he snapped one last time with a happy look, "Right! The Rokushiki! They're the advanced techniques the higher ranked Marines know! I'll be teaching my crew how to do them, starting with you two!"

Zoro smirked in anticipation, but Nami formed an 'X' with her arms, "Hey, remember that I'm just a partner. Once I have ฿100,000,000, I'm out." Even if she liked Luffy – which at this point she knew she couldn't deny anymore. He wasn't a bad guy. She knew she was too close. She almost had enough, and a few more trips would do it. The thought of asking for his help hadn't even crossed her mind. Too many failed attempts and crushed hopes.

Luffy looked at her dryly, "Oh, and how do you plan on getting that gold?"

Nami simply smirked, "Same way I've been doing it! Stealing from pirates!"

Luffy sighed, "Nami, could you have beaten Melgo?"

She looked surprised, "What, Morgan? Of course not!"

"Then how are you planning on stealing from _Grand Line_ pirates if you couldn't even beat that idiot?" He eyed her in a bit of disappointment, "You're really, _really_ underestimating the Grand Line. Here in East Blue you didn't even think Devil Fruits were real. In the Grand Line everyone and their dog has one. And I probably mean that literally." Hitting Luffy with bamboo _wasn't_ the only thing Shanks had done in his extra time in Luffy's village.

Nami looked stricken, "Well…" She blustered, "That's where you two come in!" She crossed her arms and nodded smugly.

"And what happens when we're not around?" Zoro asked dryly, "You think everyone on that sea is going to have a three member crew?"

Nami deflated, "Fine…" She mumbled, defeated.

Luffy stretched, "You know, I may as well show you guys the techniques now. We don't have much space, so you'll only really be able to practice one of them, but you should at least see them." He got up and motioned for his two crewmates to do the same, "Okay, Nami, take out that staff thingy you have under your skirt."

The girl's face instantly flamed red and her fist whizzed forward and crashed into Luffy's nose, "PERVERT! HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT!"

Luffy groaned and clutched his face, "I felt it when I was carrying you when we got out of the base."

Nami huffed but took her staff out, connecting the pieces until it seemed seamless, "Alright." She said waspishly, "What's this about?"

Luffy got up with a grin, "Hit me. However you like."

Nami smirked. An excuse to beat on a pirate? Even one as nice as Luffy? "Can do."

She swung the staff with all of her strength, looking to clock Luffy good, " **Kami-e**." Luffy said the word and – just as the staff neared him – he seemed to flow around the blow almost like air. She stumbled from the over-extension but recovered admirably. She swung again, and the same thing happened. She thrust out at him with the butt of the staff, but again, she just barely missed as his torso turned sideways and it sailed wide. She unleashed a flurry of strikes, but couldn't connect a single time. Soon, she was using the staff as a pole to hold herself up and panting heavily. " **Kami-e**." Luffy repeated with that large grin of his, "You allow your body to go limp, so that you can simply flow around attacks. Shishishi."

"Wow." She breathed, "That one does sound pretty useful." And it seemed perfect for her. She was already very nimble and agile.

Luffy chuckled, "Now, we don't really have enough space to practice any techniques other than that one, so I'll just be showing you guys the next ones." And with that, he _back flipped clear off the boat._

Nami screamed, "You idiot! You can't swim!" She whirled around to Zoro, "Go get him!" She ordered in panic.

Zoro merely pointed with a look of awe. Nami turned and felt her jaw drop. Luffy was hopping up and down on the air, as if he was on a trampoline. " **Geppo**. I don't think this one needs any explanation, right? Shishishi."

"You're flying!" Nami screamed in shock, "How are you doing that!"

"I'm not flying. I'm jumping so strongly that the air becomes a platform for me to jump off." Luffy yelled at them.

"That's amazing! Can humans really learn these things!" Nami looked dumbfounded. None of the Marines who had bothered to give even a token effort at freeing her village had ever done anything remotely like these techniques!

"Of course." Luffy called, "The next one I'm going to show you is actually the easiest of the six to learn. It's called **Soru**!"

"Shave? What does it do?" Nami looked confused, which was exactly how Luffy wanted her.

He vanished from their sight and Nami yelped as she heard a sound behind her and then screamed loudly as she felt arms pin hers to her side, "Gotcha!" Luffy grinned menacingly, before he started tickling the poor woman.

"Kya!" Nami burst out into laughter as the boy took her down and started making her laugh, "Ahahahahaha! Stop! Luffy! I'll kill you!" She sputtered as he just continued tickling her and her face started turning red. She squirmed under his attack before she finally managed to trip him and he fell on her, laughing. His hands were around her head and holding him up. Her face was a bright red as she turned and saw him on top, "Idiot! Get off!" She yelped, though her face's color didn't change at all.

"Right, you're up Zoro!" Luffy called out as he stepped towards the middle of the dinghy as though he hadn't just tickle-attacked his navigator, "I want you to hit me as hard as you can!" Zoro's face didn't change at all, even if Nami's did. Zoro grunted as a fist flashed forward directly into Luffy's gut. " **Tekkai**!" Luffy seemed to steel himself as Zoro's fist impacted, and nothing seemed to happen for a moment. Then Zoro fell to his knees and cradled his hand, having been completely unprepared for the pain. Luffy made sure he was okay, before saying, " **Tekkai** allows you to harden your muscles into iron, allowing you to take heavy physical attacks."

"You're telling me." Zoro had gotten up and was waving his hand around, trying to get feeling back into it. "I definitely felt like I had tried to punch iron."

"Shishishi, then there is the **Rankyaku** , which you've already seen." Luffy grinned, but raised a leg anyway. He kicked out at sea, and they watched in awe as the very ocean parted a couple meters.

"That's amazing." Nami said as she the boat started being rocked by the light wake formed. "Are we really going to learn these?"

"Probably not all of them." Luffy said as he sat down and lounged out, "I can't see you trying to tank a punch with **Tekkai**. Shishishi."

Nami huffed, "Yeah, you can cross that one out." She smirked, "But **Kami-e** , and **Soru** look like they're right up my alley."

"Shishishi, well get to it!" Luffy cheered.

Zoro looked like he wasn't going to say anything, so Nami did, "Wait, that was only five! What about the sixth?"

Luffy's face darkened, "I…don't like the sixth technique. I don't think it fits either of you two, so I'm not showing it."

Nami glanced at him in slight worry. "Okay." She said hesitantly, "So, how do we do **Kami-e**?"

"Shishishi." Luffy was back to all smiles, "I already told you. You let your body go limp to make it easier to dodge."

"Yeah, but how?" Nami asked in irritation.

Luffy looked at her, before grinning with his eyes closed, "Not a clue!"

Nami's foot impacted his face, "What the hell do you mean you don't know?!" She roared with her shark-teeth out.

Luffy pushed her foot away and rubbed his nose in irritation, "Grandpa usually just hit me until I figured it out. It's instinct by now."

Nami clapped both hands to her face, "Why me?" She grabbed her staff and tore one of the sections off and threw it at Zoro, who caught it with a questioning look on his face, "Okay, let's do this." She steeled herself in determination.

CLACK

"You're supposed to dodge it, not block it." Luffy said unhelpfully while picking his nose with his pinky.

"I KNOW THAT!" Nami roared. She closed her eyes and took a breath, ' _Right. Limp. Flowing. Like water. I have to be water. I have to let everything just flow around me. I love the ocean. I know it like the back of my hand. I can do this! Flow!_ ' She opened her eyes and let the shortened staff she carried fall to her side, "I'm ready."

SMACK.

"KYAAA!" Luffy's laughter did not help matters at all.

 **-]|[-**

"Oww…" Nami moaned pitifully as she tried not to move much. She was covered in welts from her staff from earlier in the day, not that Zoro was much better. She had tried to give as good as she got, even if she wasn't as strong as him. Night had fallen but it wasn't too dark thankfully. The full moon was high in the air and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"You okay?" She hopped a little at the thump next to her. Luffy had taken a seat, "You did pretty well today." Luffy grinned at her.

She threw a dirty look at him, "That was well?" She didn't look amused in the slightest.

"Shishishi, yes it was!" He confirmed with that wide grin of his, irritating her, "You managed to do it a couple of times. I never even came close for about two weeks, and every time I did it wrong I got hit by grandpa."

She felt a shiver run down her spine. "Well…" She said nervously, "It couldn't have been that bad. He's your grandpa. He wouldn't hurt you right?"

The dead look he gave her made her shiver again, "Do try to remember what I told you about him the day we met."

Oh. Right. Tiger pits and Canyons. "You poor thing." She giggled helplessly at his pouting. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, with Nami's look darkening by the minute. She just couldn't escape. Every time she felt happy she remembered that he was a pirate. And then she remembered what pirates did to her.

Luffy saw her worsening mood and tightened shoulders and decided to intervene. He wrapped his right arm around her and grabbed under her thighs. She stiffened, "What the hell are you-!" Luffy lifted her up and plopped her down between his legs, before reaching for her shoulders, "DoiIINNNGGGmmmmmmm!" She moaned helplessly as Luffy started to massage her shoulders.

"Jeez Nami, you're so stiff. Your muscles are so tight." Luffy commented as he started kneading her shoulders and back. Despite herself, she felt herself melt and relax as his fingers worked. "I'm sure glad Makino-chan showed me how to do this. You were soooo stressed."

"Makino-chan?" Nami stiffened again momentarily. She was defensive but didn't really know why.

"Yep. She ran the bar in my town. She helped raise me before I went to live in the mountains and then got taken for training by gramps." Luffy confirmed, ignorant of her sudden mood swing, though he did wonder why she tensed a bit again. She relaxed, and allowed him to continue working her over with a pleased groan. A few minutes passed, with Nami turning into an increasingly docile puddle of goo, before Luffy spoke up again, "Hey Nami?"

"Hmm?" She was in too much rapture to vocalize much more than that.

"How come you want a hundred million Beli?" He asked.

And just like that, the mood came crashing down, "None of your business." She closed up again.

Neither moved for a moment, before she felt Luffy's forehead on the back of her neck. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him, "We're friends Nami." The slight hurt in his voice was worse than any scream could have ever been. "If you ever need anything, don't hold back on asking. You're my nakama." Nami sucked in a large breath, "I would do anything to make you smile." Critical hit.

Doki doki

Nami felt her face flame red. What was this idiot saying? Why was her heart beating so fast? She could _feel_ his sincerity and lack of any ulterior motives. She bit her lips as tiny tears started forming in her eyes. She shook her head minutely.

He was silent for a moment, "It's okay if you're not ready right now." He said before starting to lean back, "Just know I'll always be here for you."

He almost missed her watery, whispered, "Thank you." Almost. The two sat in silence, nothing more to be said as he continued massaging and comforting her. Eventually, she leaned back into his chest and fell asleep. He followed soon after.

 **-]|[-**

"Man…I'm so hungry!" Luffy moaned. He was draped over the side of the dinghy. Nami and Zoro weren't doing much better. It had been two days since the food had run out.

"Maybe if you didn't eat _everything_ , we wouldn't be hungry!" Nami yelled at him.

Luffy snorted, "Haven't you ever heard the proverb, ' _Eat when thou art hungry?_ '"

"You made that up!" She screamed at him from her own slump. She keeled over and stared at the sky, "Ugh, I'm sore from training and my stomach is eating itself. We need to find land soon."

"You mean like that land?" Zoro groaned over from the front of the boat.

"Oro?" Nami and Luffy both sat up in shock. And indeed, it was land. A smallish island could be seen in the distance. "Land." Nami had tears leaking down her face, "FOOD!" Luffy roared and got up, seemingly revitalized. "Gepp-" He looked like he was about to fly ahead of them when Nami growled and latched on to him like a vice.

"You're not going anywhere!" She screamed as she suplexed him. Zoro stared at them in shock, "You ate everything here! You're not getting any until my plate is full!" She bopped him.

"Nami is so mean." Luffy was staring up at her with big doe eyes, causing her to falter momentarily.

"No. If I take my eyes off you you'll probably eat the entire town." Nami scowled, before sitting on him to make sure he wouldn't try to run away. "You're staying right here with us." Her cheeks were red, and Zoro's sly looking glances weren't helping. After roughly half an hour of listening to Luffy whine and their stomachs growling, they finally hit land. They had noticed the large ship moored off to the side, and all of them took note of the Jolly Roger on the sail. It looked like someone had set up a circus tent.

Buggy the Clown was here.

But curiously, no one else was. The entire town seemed deserted. It was a ghost town. Nami was really glad she had already changed all of her treasure into Beli. She had all of it tucked away in her hidden pockets, so they were safe in leaving the boat unattended. As they explored, the eerie feeling of abandonment sank in. This town looked fairly well kept together, except for the demolished houses they saw every once in a while.

They all slumped over as a synchronized hunger pang hit them hard. Nami – ever the pragmatist – decided to speak up, "It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but we don't have any other options. We'll have to break into one of these houses." Her head dipped, "Not like there's anyone to miss the food here…"

Luffy growled, "If they're all dead, this Buggy is going to regret it." He stomped off and practically broke the door to one of the houses down. Nami was in full agreement, as was Zoro. As Nami was fixing them food, Luffy was talking to Zoro, "Me? I've just been wandering. You did that too right? While you were hunting pirates?"

Zoro shook his head, "I didn't live completely off of bounties. I've always been searching for someone. That's why I left my dojo, but now I can't find my way back."

"Shishishi, so you're lost?" Luffy laughed as Zoro yelled at him. "Relax, we have a Navigator." He hugged the passing Nami, who just smiled lightly and placed the food on the table. Everyone's mouth was watering. They dug in with gusto.

"Sorry it's not very good." Nami said through bites, "I'm not a cook. I know simple things but…"

"It's delicious." Luffy moaned with tears sparkling in his eyes, "Best thing I've ever eaten."

Nami smirked, "Well, don't expect this all the time. I'll charge you next time." She blew a raspberry in his direction.

Luffy laughed, "We'll need a good cook who can fight then. Plus a musician! It's really important!"

"Priorities, idiot!" Zoro roared at him with a scary face. "We need more important things than a musician. We're heading to the Grand Line!"

"But pirates love to sing!" Luffy looked legitimately confused. Nami shook her head.

But their merriment was cut off by the sound of an explosion. Everyone jumped to their feet. "That came from the docks." Nami said blandly as they left the house.

Luffy frowned, and his form blurred before vanishing. They waited for a moment, before Luffy appeared again, "Our dinghy is gone." He announced in irritation, "Some jerk sank it with a cannonball."

"Buggy." Nami sighed, "Looks like he's as much of a jerk as we thought. What are we going to do?"

Luffy snorted and pressed his hat firmly on to his head, "We're going to walk in, kick his ass, and take his treasure and a ship." They started walking away from the house and Nami's jaw dropped as she saw the devastation. An _entire_ _row_ of houses had been utterly demolished.

She started to sweat, "I gathered that. How are we going to go about it though? What's our plan?"

"Plan?" Zoro looked at her like she was stupid, "You think _this_ guy has a plan?"

Said guy was picking his nose with his pinky. Nami slapped a palm to her face, "Right. What was I thinking?" She chuckled, "I could pretend to capture you to lure them into a false sense of security."

Luffy looked confused, "Why the hell would we do that? Me and Zoro are more than enough for these idiots." Pot, meet kettle. You're both black.

Nami slumped in defeat. Clearly she couldn't expect anything other than 'charge in' with these guys. It certainly wasn't her usual modus operandi. But before she could chide them on their overconfidence, a voice rang out, "Hey, who are you kids?" The speaker was a fairly old man with glasses and a puffy mullet. He had brown leather armor strapped to him over a yellow striped shirt and a fairly poor-looking spear on his back.

"Eh? Who are you, old guy?" Luffy questioned while ignoring the old man's own query.

"I'm Mayor Boodle! I'm this village's chief!" The old man said, trying to look important, "I came by to feed ChouChou."

"Eh?" Who was that? They old man led them over to a stiff, statuesque dog sitting proudly in front of a store saying PET FOOD. "Why is he over here like that?" Luffy asked, "Didn't you all evacuate? We couldn't find anyone here earlier."

Boodle's head dipped, "My friend used to own this store. ChouChou was his pet. They opened this store together ten years ago and loved each other very much." He raised his head, "The store is filled with precious memories for the two, and the owner always confided in ChouChou. He let him guard the store when he was away."

Nami suddenly gasped, "Oh this poor thing. He's covered in wounds."

Boodle growled, "The pirates come here occasionally, trying to take food from the store, likely for their own pets. ChouChou tries to fight them away. He's actually been kind of successful."

Luffy smiled and pet the dog, "You're a good boy aren't you! Keep protecting your treasure!" Nami smiled warmly. Any lingering doubts about Luffy had been vanishing slowly as she interacted with him, and she finally let them go. There just wasn't a malicious bone in this kid's body. She giggled. Plenty of idiot bones though.

The quartet left after getting a bark from the dog, and started following Boodle as he continued to speak, "Unfortunately, my friend and ChouChou's owner passed away not three months ago. He came down with a sickness that claimed his life." Tears sparkled in the old man's eyes, "His last orders to ChouChou were a request to guard the store while he was hospitalized."

Nami teared up, "That's horrible! Why won't someone come take him away! He's just waiting there for someone who won't come back!"

Boodle smiled lightly, "No. That may be what most of us thought, but not me." He shook his head, "ChouChou is intelligent! He knows his owner won't be coming back!"

Nami gasped, but Luffy had understood, "That store is his treasure. His and his owner's. He won't stop guarding it for as long as he has strength in his body."

Nami's head dipped as Boodle nodded, "That's right. Those two had a bond like any other! He won't stop guarding their treasure."

But their talk was interrupted by a heart-struck cry of canine pain! "ChouChou!" They yelled before spinning on a dime and racing back toward the store. The poor dog sounded like it was in agony. They turned the corner and Nami gasped. She clapped a hand over her mouth. Tears prickled at her horrified eyes.

ChouChou was on the ground covered in claw marks. He was struggling to get to his feet and was barking piteously. The store had been ransacked. Even the PET FOOD sign was laying diagonally, as if it was only held up by a single nail. An absolutely _massive_ lion was exiting the store with a carton of food in its mouth. It had green fur with a purple mane and was almost too tall to get into the door, which probably explained why the building looked so damaged.

A man with what looked like fur covering his body was there, waiting for the beast. He looked like he had this weird furry hat that went around his chin with teddy bear ears. His midriff was bare, but his chest and shoulders were covered in that same fur. It was all white. He was heard snidely saying, "You shouldn't have bit me, you damn mutt!" He tossed a lit match behind the lion. The store went up in a fiery blaze.

The quartet stared in horror as ChouChou struggled to his feet and started barking in agony at the burning building. The lion and the weird guy started walking away, taking no note of Luffy or any of the others. Luffy appeared in front of them with _that_ look in his eyes. "Eh, who the hell are you?" The guy with the weird hat asked. "Appearing in my way was a grave mistake! I'm Mohji the Beast Tamer of the Buggy Pirates! Kill him Richie!"

The lion roared and swung a mighty paw in Luffy's direction. Luffy stopped it cold with a single hand, "That store was ChouChou's treasure." He said quietly as the man and the lion started to perspire, "You damn bastard with weird ears!"

"THIS IS MY HAIR YOU ASSHOLE!"

Normally Luffy would have bantered with the idiot. He liked to have a little fun in his fights. This wasn't going to be a fight. A single fist in the guy's face knocked him off the lion. He dematerialized again and appeared directly underneath the beast. With a grunt of rage, Luffy threw a vicious uppercut directly into Richie's ribcage. The lion was heard hacking as it lifted clear off the dirt and flew ten feet into the air, its maw gaping and its eyes popping out.

But Luffy wasn't done. He appeared right above the lion in another burst of speed, before gravity even started slowing the monstrous lion down enough to start falling. With another scream, he flipped forward and dropped a devastating heel into the lion's nose. Its path reversed, the beast hurtled toward the floor hard enough to bury itself into a crater, its rear sticking straight up into the air, before it slumped as much as its position allowed.

"RICHIE!" Mohji screamed in shock, "What are you?" He hissed in fear. "Wait! I'll give you anything you want!" The man trembled, "I-I'm sorry!"

Luffy stalked forward, more of a predator than the lion had any hope of being, "I don't need your apologies! It won't bring back ChouChou's treasure!" All of the man's pleading and begging was hopeless as Luffy reared a fist back and shot it forward like a cannonball. The impact was so hard even the dog winced. Mohji felt at least half of his teeth breaking for one agonizing second before he completely lost consciousness as he flew backward. He hit the bottom of a house at the end of the street which started to crumble on top of him, completely burying the man under rubble.

"You're going overboard again…" Nami mumbled with a hand over her face. Boodle could only stare in awe at the sight.

But Luffy hadn't heard her or even seen the result of his punch, because he had raced into the burning building much to the growing shock of the watching four. He broke out, not looking even slightly singed or even smoldering. He walked sadly over to ChouChou and placed a single box of food in front of the dog, "Sorry ChouChou. This was all I could save for you. Everything else was gone, if you can believe it." ChouChou barked weakly, before taking it into his mouth and starting to hobble away from them. "Yeah, you be strong too!" He smiled at the shrinking image of the dog.

Nami had watched in growing admiration of Luffy's actions. The beating of the lion and the idiot with the weird hair hadn't done much. His strength awed her, but it only made her wish she had been strong enough to do that herself. No, it was the act of jumping into that inferno for a dog he didn't even know that truly spoke to her. Why couldn't Luffy be the shining example of a pirate? Why couldn't they all be more like him?

Boodle was heard growling, "I'm done with this!" He shouted in rage! "I CAN'T STAND IT ANY MORE!" He started to shake, "Over forty years ago, I was forced to abandon my village when pirates came and destroyed it! We were forced to watch as our homes and lives burned! But we persevered! We rebuilt, and Orange Town has only grown since then! What right do these blasted pirates have to come and ruin all of our work! All of our dreams?!"

"Don't call them pirates." Luffy said dangerously. The three watching even shivered from the amount of ice in his town. "These aren't pirates. These are scumbags. They're cowards and weaklings who aren't brave enough to do anything for themselves. They can only feel good about hurting others."

Nami shook her head, "Sadly, that's what most pirates are like, Luffy; irredeemable scum."

He cracked his knuckles, "Well, they're about to get a taste of their own medicine." Nami jumped as he called out to her and Zoro, "We're going to go make sure this clown eats his own teeth." They nodded in resolution, but were stopped by the Mayor.

"I'm going too!" He screamed, "You children and ChouChou are all fighting! I have to fight too! There are some things a man has to fight for, right kid?"

"You're right." Luffy said, causing his crew's eyes to bug out, "But sometimes, it's better to rely on friends. You're all ChouChou has right now. If you die as well he'll be alone." The Mayor deflated helplessly, the fire he had managed to build extinguished, "Determination needs strength behind it. We'll take care of things, old guy. You just make sure you and ChouChou survive."

He turned and walked away, Nami and Zoro following. She looked at him strangely, biting her lip, "Luffy, what does pirate mean to you?" Zoro perked up as well in his own interest.

Luffy smirked, "A pirate isn't someone who goes on raids or sails or who likes gold. He isn't someone who lords it over others and hurts people. They're weaklings." He stopped and turned to her, "A pirate is someone who is willing to put his life and everything he is on the line for his dreams and his friends! A pirate is someone who wants freedom more than anything!"

When he turned around and stepped away with Zoro, she didn't follow for a moment. She stood stock still, his words ringing like a bell in her ears. Her head dipped as tears prickled up in her eyes, "Maybe I'm the idiot…" She whispered. When she looked up, she had a steely look of determination on her face. She wiped the tears away and ran after them, all doubt in her mind gone.

 **-]|[-**

The raucous noise coming from the large building could only have been caused by the Buggy Pirates. Nami growled, "Look at them, partying while they're destroying lives. They don't even care, and they're dancing on the ruins of the town." She turned to Luffy, "All of the treasure is mine. I'll be robbing them _blind_."

"Leave a little. This town will need some money to rebuild." Luffy said. Nami almost rejected him, but stopped to think. That would make her no better than these pirates, if she was denying them the money needed to get back on their feet.

She sighed, "Gotcha. I won't take all of it. I'll see you when you're done."

He looked at her with that damnable grin of his, "Oh no, you're fighting too." Nami balked, "You have to get the practice in, and it is better you do it now against these guys than later in our journey against guys who could give me a Zoro trouble."

"Wha- but!" Nami stammered. She wasn't ready for this! He had only started teaching her **Kami-E** a few days ago! "I'm not a fighter! I was a thief a few days ago!" She yelped in fear.

"Relax. I won't let you get hurt." He gave her a quick, one armed hug. "I promise. Besides, you're really good with that staff! You could probably give Ace a run for his money, and he was better than me at it!" That was a _slight_ exaggeration. Luffy didn't know how good Ace had gotten, but despite her skill - which definitely matched Ace's skill - her strength was low. Still, it did the job in raising her confidence as it got a smile from the girl.

"Ace?" She asked cluelessly, "I didn't know you could use a staff."

"Shishishi, I don't anymore. And they were never staffs." He chuckled, "We used old pipes and bamboo sticks back home. We were bad boys." She laughed, mind off the oncoming battle for a brief moment, "Ace is my older brother! He set out three years ago! I haven't used one since. No one else in Goa could really use one well."

Zoro twitched, "Luffy…what is your brother's last name?"

"Eh? His name is Portgas D Ace!" Luffy grinned widely. Zoro slowly keeled over. "Eh? Zoro! What happened!" He started shaking the swordsman franticly while Nami looked on in bemusement.

Zoro stood and yelled at him with shark teeth is full view, "Portgas D Ace!? Whitebeard's Second Division Commander!?" The name finally clicked in Nami's head and her jaw started dropping.

"Yep! Shishishi." Both of his crewmates stared at him with their jaws on the floor and white eyes.

"Fire-Fist Ace as an older brother. Garp the Fist as a grandfather. Who the hell is this guy? What's with all the fists?" Nami muttered to herself in disbelief. She shook herself as they reached a really out-of-place gate in front of the building. Her eyebrow twitched, "Did these guys really build a fake gate in front of this pub?"

"Shishishi. Let's say…HELLO!" Luffy kicked both of the large doors right off their hinges with a thunderous bang. The doors clanged and crushed as they flew through the air, impacting the roof with loud cracks. They took out at least seven men before finally coming to a halt near the entrance to a big tent.

Nami giggled and stuck her tongue out at the gaping pirates who were swarming to the edge of the partly-ruined roof, "Housekeeping!" Luffy began to chuckle himself.

Finally, a man dressed in an orange, fur-lined captain's coat stood at the edge of the roof, "Who the hell are you flashy bastards?" He roared angrily. He had blue hair which was partially covered by an orange captain's hat with his Jolly Roger on it and a huge, flashy red nose. He had crossbones painted across his face and was wearing a red and white shirt with a purple scarf around his neck. His light ocean-green pants were held up by a darker green sash. His striped socks, pointy clown shoes and white, puffy gloves completed the clownish look.

Nami cringed, "Was your fashion designer colorblind?"

The clown's face was shadowed, "These flashy nobodies come in, ruin my party and insult my clothes. I'm so mad words fail me."

"Buggy-sama, how about I go down there and teach those kids a lesson?" A man with long dark hair asked. His black hair covered half of his face, with the other half being shaved in three strips across his skull. He wore white pants and shoes with no shirt, though bandages covered his ribcage. He had a large, long white-and-blue checkered scarf.

Buggy didn't get the chance to answer because Luffy roared out, "Hey you stupid clown! Get that big fat Red Nose down here so I can kick it in!" Every single member of Buggy's crew had their eyes grow long and pointy in their shock. Their mouths were open impossibly wide and snot dribbles from their noses and tears from their eyes.

Buggy trembled for a moment, his own mouth on the ground along with his crew. He regained his senses and roared out, only the whites of his eyes showing in his rage, "FIRE THE BUGGY CANNONBALL! FIRE!"

A cannon was rolled up near the railing and pointed directly at Luffy. It fired with a thunderous boom. Nami panicked, "Oi Luffy! Get out of the way!" She dove for safety while Zoro stared at his captain in disbelief, his brain not engaging and forcing him to stand still as well.

Luffy grinned, "Cannonball?" He raised his hand and allowed the massively powerful weapon impact it with a loud crack. His arm bent towards his chest to help absorb the shock, though he didn't even slide back an inch. "You think this tiny thing will make me move back? Grandpa threw pebbles heavier than this at me!"

Buggy's eyes bulged out, "What the hell is this flashy bastard!"

With his signature laugh, Luffy wound up for a pitch, the ball in his hand slightly cracking from the force of his fingers and ruining the Buggy Pirates Jolly Roger embosomed on it. "Why don't you have this back!" With a mighty heave, he hurled the Buggy Ball right back where it had come from!

The large explosion was even louder than the one they had heard before meeting ChouChou and the Mayor. The building began to crumble into a pile of mortar, wood, and stone. Nami nearly had a conniption, "LUFFY YOU IDIOT!" She wrapped his neck with her arm in a textbook headlock and started punching him in in the head with her left, "What if they had the map and treasure up there!"

"Shishishi, sorry Nami." Luffy was entirely unconcerned with the dainty knuckles impacting his head.

Zoro smirked, "You know, I'm just going to stop assuming you can't do things. That way I'll never be surprised when you pull it off."

"Shishishi." Luffy grinned and effortlessly freed himself, "Nami, you're up first. Unless I took them all out with that, but I doubt it."

Nami gulped, "You sure I have to fight?" She grinned slyly and slinked over to the Sun Man. She draped herself over his shoulders, making sure to press her breasts to his back. She was pleased when the slightest tinge of pink – barely visible really – showed under his scar. She whispered in his ear, "You know, if you let me just go rob them, I'll make you some delicious food again~!"

Luffy stiffened, before raising a trembling fist, "You're evil Nami." He whined with tears streaming down from his eyes, "The meat will…" He twitched, "-have to…" He looked like the words were causing him physical pain, "-forgive me." Nami's jaw dropped. Luffy fell to the ground in horror at what he'd said. He looked like he wanted a teddy, "These guys should be perfect…for getting your feet wet." He choked out.

Nami once again reevaluated her captain. She pouted, "I was sure that would work." She bent over and smacked him, "Get up you idiot." She rolled her eyes when he started sucking his thumb, "I'll make you your food. Just don't expect to get any of the treasure."

Instantly, Luffy was on his feet and hugging her tightly. He even lifted her off the floor, making her squeak, red faced. "You're the best, Nami!"

' _Wait a minute! I'm supposed to be the cute, manipulative one here!_ ' Nami protested in her mind!

Suddenly, he dropped her as her ears picked up a whizzing sound. She then heard a light thump behind her head, and she turned. Her eyes bugged out. Luffy's thumb and middle fingers were inside the holes of still-lightly-spinning shuriken. ' _Those were aimed at me! I could have died!_ ' She realized as she trembled for a moment.

Luffy's eyes were dark and cold as he eyed the young black man with the yellow and purple pointed hat and huge lips. The trembling man's outstretched arm was trembling and he himself was shaking. "Did you just try to hurt my precious Navigator?" Luffy's hand slowly closed and the metal shuriken bent and creaked and deformed as if they were made out of soft clay. He dropped them to the floor and the black man keeled over in time with them, foaming at the mouth.

Nami turned her head back and buried her face into his neck. Her quivering lightened as he rubbed her back. Slowly, her composure returned and she gave him one last squeeze. The smoke from the collapsed building was clearing and they let go of each other. "Look at these flashy kid, acting as if they aren't afraid of us." Buggy was holding two of his burned crewman outward with disembodied hands. His arms were crossed in front of him, while his hands were simply floating.

Nami's eyes widened, "A Devil Fruit!"

Luffy's eyes hardened further, "What the hell are you doing, you bastards!" He roared angrily, "How could you just use your nakama as shields?!" He was ignored.

The black-haired man was holding yet another crewman, this time a very fat one, in front of him as well. "This is the biggest humiliation our crew has ever faced, captain." The rest of the men who weren't unconscious roared in agreement. They all pulled out weapons; hammers, swords, ropes, knives. They raised them in the air with howling battle cries!

Luffy seethed at the pirates. He was really tempted to take them all out himself, but he knew Nami would need this. She needed to realize that she had her own potential to be strong. For more than just thieving. Luffy trusted her to take out these nobodies and even if he didn't, he was still going to be keeping an eagle eye on the battle. Luffy patted Nami's lower back, "Don't worry. I'll jump in if you can't handle it. I'd never let them hurt you." He grinned at her, "Besides, your reward after we finish up will be most of their treasure. Shishishi!" Her eyes turned into ฿!

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN OUR TREASURE YOU FLASHY THIEVES!" Buggy roared with his eyes bugging out.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself, pulling out the three sections to her staff and assembling it with a stiff upper lip. The roaring pirates charged! But Nami instantly was able to see what Luffy had been telling her all along. These pirates were weak. Sloppy. Nothing like her captain or even Zoro. The doubt that had been clouding her mind vanished and she smirked confidently. The first one to reach her swung at her head with a pretty large Morningstar. She merely bent her knees slightly and the heavy spiked ball whished over her head harmlessly, throwing him off balance. The pirate had this comical shocked look on his face, as if he honestly expected her to just take it in her pretty face. Said pretty face flashed with irritation. Her staff whistled through the air and impacted right in the middle of his face. Teeth flew in bloody spittle and the sound of cartilage breaking rang through the air as he collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.

The next pirate didn't even get a chance to swing his Warhammer at her. She stepped over the bandit she'd just laid out and thrust the butt of her staff directly into his throat. His eyes bugged out as he also fell, clutching his neck with raspy gasps escaping him. The pirate running next to him tripped over his Warhammer and fell. Nami cracked his skull for good measure as soon as he face planted. She rushed forward, staff spinning and instantly cracked it into the temple of one of the shocked pirates. His head whiplashed and bowled straight into the last-standing pirate's nose. They both fell much to Nami's growing confidence and pride, "Man, Luffy was right. You guys suck."

But that confidence had turned into overconfidence. "Behind you!" She heard Luffy roar. She whipped around, just in time to see the man whose throat she thought she had crushed wring his Warhammer at her midsection with a quiet, raspy roar! There was no time for her to move or even get in position to try to block with her light staff. In her panic, she defaulted into the training mode Luffy and Zoro had been trying to smack into her for the past couple of days.

Her body went limp and tried to flow around the weapon. She mostly succeeded. The barest amount of metal grazed her skin. It wasn't enough to seriously injure her. More like give her a friction burn than anything serious, but it was enough to shock her out of that state. Her legs twisted and she fell onto her back. The pirate completed his swing and brought it around over his head, still practically squeaking from his lack of voice.

He swung downward with all the might he had in his large, muscled body! Nami quickly rolled backward like a ball and onto her knees. The Warhammer crashed into the dirt, throwing up a plume of dust and grit. Adrenaline was practically dancing throughout her system. With a battle cry of her own, she flashed forward. He tried to lift his hammer, but he'd gotten it stuck in the ground with his last attack. Nami was in front of him to his right, her left. Her staff swung upwards, crashing into his chin like a bucking bronco! Teeth clacked together, some of them even cracking and shattering as they ground against each other. His body lifted clean off of the ground, pushed by the weapon in the girl's hands.

But Nami wasn't done. She was angry that she'd been caught off guard by such a weakling. It was no wonder she could barely help her village. It was no wonder she'd needed eight years to scrounge up ฿81 million! Growling angrily, she stepped forward with her right leg and changed the direction of her staff's momentum. Muscles straining as she followed through, she slammed the man downward and crushed him against the dirt, falling to her hands and knees in exhaustion as she did so, dripping in sweat. She'd put too much into that.

"YOU DAMN BITCH! I'LL AVENGE THE PAIN YOU'VE CAUSED MY CREW!" She heard a roar above her. She strained to look, eyes widening in terror as she beheld the dark-haired man crashing down towards her with a sword aiming to kill. She tried to move, but winced in pain as her muscles screamed. She closed her eyes, forgetting about her two friends and screamed in her mind, apologizing to her sister for failing!

CLING

She trembled for a moment, before opening her eyes and smiling in relief. Zoro was in front of her, casually holding the blade away from her with one of his own, "Oi, oi! Don't you think that's a little much for our little lady?" A tick mark appeared over her right eye. She just beat those pirates and he calls her a 'little lady?' And whose 'our?'

"Shishishi." She 'eeped' shrilly as arms slipped under her legs and around her back, "You did awesomely Nami! You're great with that staff!" Luffy smiled brightly at her. "I told you that you could handle it! You just have to believe in yourself!"

She smiled demurely, "Thank you Luffy." She snuggled into his neck tiredly, not really caring that she was getting him wet with her sweat. He clearly didn't mind.

The black-haired man jumped back, "You…you're…Roronoa Zoro!" They all finally took the time to notice that the weirdo was riding a unicycle. He smirked broadly, "My name is Cabaji, Chief of Staff of the Buggy Pirates. As another swordsman, I look forward to taking your head." He sprang forward, racing towards Zoro on his unicycle. " **Acrobat Technique: Old Man's Flame!** " Zoro looked shocked and unfortunately got a few embers on his shirt, which started burning. The rest of the flame was thankfully dodged, and it splattered and burned on the dirt. Cabaji's shoe flashed, its pointed toe impacting directly into Zoro's ribcage.

Nami – who was still in Luffy's arms, though she was standing again – gasped, "He has a Devil Fruit too!"

Luffy sniffed, "No." He said. Nami turned to him questioningly, "That idiot put oil in his mouth and had a lighter under his scarf. He did it when he moved the scarf out of the way."

She looked surprised, "How did you know that?"

"I can smell it." He wrinkled his nose, "He reeks of that stuff we use to keep the street lamps lit."

"What a moron." She exclaimed, "One wrong move and he'd light himself on fire!"

"Shishishi!"

Zoro had gotten back to his feet, glaring at the man, "What the hell was that? You kicked me. Have you no honor as a swordsman?" He growled lowly.

Cabaji laughed darkly, "Honor? What kind of a fool needs that. All I need is victory! **Acrobat Technique: Murder Case in the Hot Spring's Steam!** " He started spinning and hopping like an idiot, kicking up a dust cloud.

Zoro's eye twitched, "This guy…" Suddenly, a blade shot out of the cloud which Zoro blocked with his left blade. Then came the shoe again, punting Zoro directly in the same area that he'd hit last time. Zoro had enough. He dropped his right blade point-first into the ground and clenched his fist. Cabaji didn't know what hit him. He fell to the floor dazed, front teeth knocked out and his nose flattened. Zoro's eyes looked dark under his bandana. "You bring shame to swordsmen everywhere, you cowardly weakling." As Cabaji struggled to his feet – having lost his unicycle – Zoro drew his pride and joy, Wado Ichimonji. Placing the handle in his mouth, he grabbed his fallen blade once more, "Facing my three swords is more of an honor than you deserve, scum."

Cabaji growled, "I'll kill you, you smug bastard! Face my strongest trick! **Acrobat Technique: Theater of One Hundred Kamika-GRGH"** Zoro hadn't even given him the chance to finish the technique's name.

A horrified, "CABA-CHAN!" Came from the red-nosed captain himself.

Cabaji's shoulder, side, and the arm opposite to the shoulder wound opened up in geysers of blood. Zoro appeared behind the falling man who was rapidly losing consciousness. The last thing he heard were Zoro's words, "Oni Giri. I'm tired of being the opponent of someone so unskilled. Go join a circus, you flippy idiot."

"Shishishi, nice job Zoro." Luffy held his hand up for a high five, as did Nami.

Zoro obliged them, though he did so with a snort, "That wasn't even worth my time. What a coward."

"You flashy bastard thieves." Buggy's face was shadowed. "How dare you do this to my crew. I'll kill you."

Luffy snorted, "We're not thieves."

"I beg to differ." Nami raised a hand up with a smile and her tongue waggling.

"We're pirates, you big ugly Red Nose." Luffy finished as he stepped away from Nami and started walking towards Buggy.

Buggy's rage instantly ignited again, "DON'T TALK ABOUT MY NOSE, BASTARDS!" The man growled, "What is your goal? Why are you here?"

Nami smirked, "We're here for your treasure and your map, scumbag."

"So hand it over, Red Nose."

Buggy's teeth ground, before he started laughing uproariously, "Gyahahahaha! The Grand Line isn't a place for you no-name rookies. What are you planning on doing there? Sightseeing? Don't make me laugh."

"I'm going to become the Pirate King." Luffy said confidently.

Buggy's eyes bugged out and his head tilted to the left. He had this big stupefied open grin on his face and white eyes. He twitched, before coming to his senses and screaming at Luffy, "YOU FLASHY IDIOT! YOU? THE PIRATE KING? THEN I'M GOING TO BE GOD! THE PERSON WHO WILL ACQUIRE ALL THE WORLD'S TREASURES IS ME!"

"Shishishi, like I'd listen to a lecture from an ugly Red Nose. Let's just start your ass kicking." Luffy chuckled as he got into his fighting stance.

Buggy ground his teeth some more, "Watch your mouth, you stupid brat." He took out a bunch of knives from…somewhere. "Seeing that Straw Hat of yours… it's reminding me of that flashy Red-Haired bastard."

"Oro?" Luffy's head tilted this time, "How the hell does a loser like you know Shanks?"

"Hoh?" Buggy raised an eyebrow in interest, "You look like you're considerably interested. I know him, but why would you want to know?"

"Where is he now?" Luffy even stood straight, entirely unconcerned about Buggy much to his crew's surprise.

"Where? Well, if I know I know. But then again…" He took his chin in his hand, with this strange, smug look on his face, "-if I don't know, then maybe I don't know anything at all."

Luffy just stared at him dully, "What are you, an idiot?" He smirked at Nami's scream of 'that's real rich coming from you!' from behind him.

Buggy screamed, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN ' _IDIOT_ ,' YOU UNCIVILIZED BUFFOON!" He got into his own battle stance, knives between each of his fingers, "I'm saying that I'm not a nice guy. I don't have anything to say to you, even if it's your dying wish." He stomped his feet, getting knives to pop out from under the toes, "Even if I tell you, you'll be too busy being dead to hear it. **Bara Bara Windmill!** "

Luffy eyed him in interest as Buggy kicked forward and is _leg detached_ and turned into a whirling sawblade flying directly at him. Luffy laughed and jumped up into the air with a large grin.

Buggy cackled in response as dozens of blades surrounded the Straw Hat wearing boy from above and below, "What kind of idiot jumps up into the air! There's no escape for you, Mugiwara!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy smiled broadly as the knives closed in, getting a gasp of total shock from Buggy. He could only remember one man to laugh at death! Those thoughts slipped from his mind as Luffy threw his right leg out in a kick. Buggy's eyes popped right out of his head as a shockwave seemingly appeared around the boy's foot before he was propelled to the left, completely dodging every single blade.

' _So he wasn't laughing at his death…he just knew he'd be able to escape._ ' Buggy thought silently to himself. It was a bit of a relief to see that, "It doesn't matter if you can dodge, all I have to do is **BARA BARA EMERGENCY ESCAPE!** " His smug tone turned into one of sheer panic as a massive lance of energy started cleaving the ground in front of him. Buggy's body split length-wise, allowing the blade of wind to pass him harmlessly. Buggy combined his halves once more as Luffy landed. He mumbled to himself, "You…how does a no-name brat like him know the **Rankyaku**?" Oh yes, Buggy knew that attack. He'd certainly faced it plenty of times on the Oro Jackson.

Nami and Zoro were watching in interest, "You know, it's one thing to see Luffy doing his stuff, but it's another to see him fighting another Devil Fruit user." She commented, "I'd probably think I was having a bad dream if I hadn't met Luffy before."

He merely smirked in irritation, "My swords would be completely useless against that guy. That's a blow to my pride…"

Buggy smirked, before punching the air with his knives extended, "Bara Bara Cannon!" His fist and forearm rocketed forward at tremendous speed, aiming to impale Luffy right in his eyes and nose. Luffy nonchalantly caught the strange projectile. Buggy smirked in victory, "Separate!" The wrist and hand separated once more and continued forward.

Normally, Luffy would have just taken the hit. Buggy was an enemy and he was a jerk! It wasn't like he really cared if this asshole got hurt. But the incident in Shells Town with bringing Nami to tears after allowing himself to get cut in half was still fresh in his mind. That, plus Buggy's knowledge of Shanks made him a bit more wary than normal. It was possible that Red Nose knew the _trick._ So Luffy jerked his head to the side to dodge, but he'd hesitated half a step. "Gyahahahaha, take that, you flashy Mugiwara!"

Luffy fell down, a horrendous ripping sound ringing inside his head. His face was shadowed and angry, as he took his hat off his head at gazed at it. There was a small rip in the straw. "How dare you." Luffy stood, clutching his hat angrily, "HOW DARE YOU MESS UP THIS HAT!" His eyes were pools of shadows and his teeth were grinding with his mouth open in a furious grimace!

Buggy had a stupid look on his face, "What?"

"This hat is my treasure!" Luffy's eyes were wide and angry as he screamed at the blue-haired pirate, "I'll never forgive anyone who messes with it!"

Nami's eyes were wide, ' _I've never seen him so angry…what is that hat to him?_ '

Buggy on the other hand, had a sly grin growing on his face, "Oh, is that hat really precious to you?" Behind Luffy, the hand that had recently nicked his hat rose into the air under Buggy's command. The hand threw one of the knives forward at Luffy's back! Luffy dodged it at Nami's scream of 'look out', growing even angrier.

That paled in comparison to what happened next.

"If that hat is so precious to you... THEN PROTECT IT BETTER!" Buggy roared in laughter! The sound of tearing straw rang through the air as all three knives impaled it in the center, ripping it out of Luffy's hand and bringing it to Buggy. "Treasure is Gold and Silver, you stupid brat! This stupid hat can't ever be one!" He threw the hat onto the floor, "So this is Shanks' hat huh? Me and that idiot both served under the same ship, a long time ago. We were comrades when we were still cabin boys." He spat on the hat.

Instantly, the atmosphere became oppressive. Every single person there, including Nami, Zoro, and the unconscious members of Buggy's Crew broke out into a savage sweat as the heat became sweltering. Light smoke started wafting off the pieces of broken wood strewn all over the place as moisture inside them started evaporating.

Buggy gagged, his mouth and throat dried out from his proximity to the boy. "You flashy….what the hell are you?"

 _Shanks' grin grew to the widest Luffy had ever seen it, "Hoh? You're going to be bigger than all of us huh? Well then…" Luffy stared at the ground, trembling and trying not to cry. Shanks' eyes were shadowed by his straw hat up until he removed it with his remaining arm, "I'll leave this precious hat of mine to you."_

"Shanks…IS A GREAT MAN!" Luffy roared in rage as he sprang forward. Buggy didn't even have time to react before the hardest punch he had taken in over two decades buried itself into his ribcage. Blood and spittle flew from his mouth as he felt his bones crack and splinter. He couldn't even get a pained grimace out before another first flattened his nose and indented his face, "Don't compare yourself to him!" Luffy said quietly, dangerously. He realized he was probably scaring his crew with his heat, so he struggled and reigned himself in.

The heat vanished, even as Buggy rolled on the floor in obvious agony. Luffy leaned down and grabbed him by the scruff of his furry lapels, "'Shanks your comrade?' Don't you dare let such words leave your mouth again!"

Buggy growled even as his face was stretched, "I don't know what relationship you had with him, but I can speak of him the way I wish! **Bara Bar** -"

"STAY DOWN!" Luffy roared. Another fist landed square in the middle of Buggy's face once more. His legs kicked up into the air from the impact, even as a crater appeared under him. Luffy got up and wandered over to his hat, "Great, your stupid spit dried on my hat." He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he tried to brush some of the grime off it.

The newly conscious Buggy Pirates were laying very, very still, desperate not to attract any attention, "Captain Buggy is…losing?!" They gasped as quietly as they could as they watched on.

Nami smiled, thinking the fight was over, "Luffy…he's so _strong_." She looked _awed_ , "He's not even using his powers!" Zoro smirked beside her. She shook herself and stretched like a cat, letting out a pleased moan, "Well, I'm off to do what I do best!"

"Hoh, what would that be?" Zoro asked with his arms crossed, not turning to look at her.

She smirked, "Robbing scumbag pirates blind." And with that, she walked away, scouting for any storehouses that the Buggy Pirates could have stored their treasure in. She didn't notice Buggy struggling to his feet.

Buggy finally got up, rasping slightly and clutching his side, "Throughout my entire life…" He panted, "Including today… There isn't even a single person who has ever made me as mad as that Red-Haired Bastard! He took a tremendous amount of treasure from me! I'll never forgive him!"

" _Hahaha, they're fighting again!" Sounds of laughing pirates rang through the air._

" _North pole!" A younger Buggy was grasping the shirt of a younger, scar-less Red-Haired Shanks. Buggy still had his gigantic red nose._

 _Shanks was as mad as the blue-haired boy, gripping Buggy's lapels tightly, "South Pole!"_

" _There you go again!" Buggy howled in his face._

 _Shanks spat back, bringing Buggy closer, "I'll say it as many times as I have to, because I'm right!"_

" _You have a lot of guts!" The two sprang together, punching and kicking wildly at each other._

" _I'll beat the crap out of you!" Shanks roared back._

 _That was until a much larger man got in between them knocked them straight to the floor with twin punches, "Idiots! Stop this now! I don't see why any of this matters to either of you, but if it's that important go to both places and find out for yourselves!" He was wearing a dark purple shirt and round glasses. His blonde hair was slicked back and he had this strange striped beard._

 _Buggy and Shanks only glared at one another. Suddenly, a call came down from the crow's nest, "A ship coming in hot!"_

 _Buggy grinned and got his knives out. Shanks grinned, "Getting excited huh, Buggy?"_

" _Of course. Enemy ships are like floating treasure boxes. I'm going to loot everything I can! Treasure is the most important thing to a pirate!"_

 _Shanks smiled blandly, "Well that's one thing, I suppose."_

" _Not one thing! The only thing!" Buggy glanced over at his fellow cabin boy, "You're too nice. You and the rest of the crew don't treat treasure seriously enough! You don't know what a pirate really is!"_

 _The fight wasn't long really. The enemies were rookie pirates who had no business challenging even a fledgling Gol D Roger's crew. But just because they were weak didn't mean the spoils weren't good. Buggy found a map with an amazing amount of treasure displayed firmly on it! He grinned and laughed to himself darkly, "Gyahahaha, no one saw! Who wouldn't keep it to themselves?" He hid it inside his shirt. Buggy's obsession with treasure was grand. No one knew why he was_ so _obsessed with it, especially since he was on a highly lauded Pirate Crew, but his ambition started to overreach his grasp._

" _Victory! Drink and party to your heart's content! Raise your voices and sing!"_

 _The party had been going on for ages now, and Shanks surprised Buggy when he kicked his door in, "Hey Buggy! Come celebrate with us! We found a weird treasure too!"_

 _Buggy instantly panicked, "Treasure? What treasure? I didn't do anything? Nothing at all!"_

 _Shanks had a big question mark over his head, "The hell are you on about?"_

 _Later, the two were relaxing on deck and having a drink as comrades, "We'll be off this ship one day." Buggy said with a large grin._

" _Eh, of course we will." Shanks chuckled, "One day I'll have my own ship and go see the world. As a pirate of course."_

" _Talking nonsense as usual huh?" Buggy cackled, drawing Shanks' ire, "You're a skilled fighter. I'll accept those skills. Too bad about your crazy way of thinking. I'd take you on as a follower otherwise."_

 _Shanks snorted before knocking back some more Sake. He was lounging lazily on his chair, "Like I'd want to be your follower. We're too different, you and I. We need to travel the paths we think are best."_

" _Like I want to hear anything about a pirate's life from you. That'll mean that we'll meet as enemies next time, won't it?" Buggy grinned, looking to browbeat the red-haired man._

 _Shanks was entirely unconcerned, a line of Sake dripping from his smiling mouth, "Yep. That's a pirate's life, huh?"_

" _The hell you on about?" Buggy asked, before shaking himself, "Anyway, you said something about some weird treasure?"_

 _Shanks perked up and sat correctly, "That's right! We picked up an Akuma no Mi! If you eat it, you'll never be able to swim again, but you'll gain a special ability! Captain said whoever wanted it could eat it."_

 _Buggy chuckled as he pat his treasure map that was in his shirt, "No one would ever want one of those. Who would want to never swim again?" He smirked, '_ Yeah, whoever eats one of those is a real idiot! If there was a treasure at the bottom of the sea, no one could ever grab it if they ate one of those stupid fruits! _'_

" _But that odd Fruit." Shanks continued, heedless of his 'friend's' plotting, "Somehow those weird things sell for_ ฿ _100,000,000. To_ _ **start**_ _." Buggy spat out all of his Sake._

" _There's no way that's true!" Buggy screamed with his eyes popping out, '_ ฿100,000,000! That's insane! That's as much as ten class 'A' treasure boxes! The treasure Goddess must be smiling down on me! _'_

 _Buggy quickly worked on a master plan to acquire the fruit. He spent all night working on a fake, replica fruit and switched it out with the real one. The next day he loudly proclaimed that he would eat the fruit himself, much to the cheering of his cohorts! And eat the fake fruit he did, standing proudly. His acting was top class, as the rest of the crew quickly left him alone, thinking the fruit must have been a fake, '_ It was a fake alright! _' Buggy cackled while hiding later that day._

 _He was holding both the Fruit and his map, "It was a total success!" He cheered._

 _And then fate declared that a happy Buggy was not a good thing, "Hey, so this is where you were hiding!" Shanks popped up behind him. Buggy muffled a scream by stuffing the fruit in his mouth in panic! Shanks gained a weird look as he stared, "Man, your face sure is weird today. Don't steal too much food or the cook will get mad!" Shanks started walking away._

Buggy sighed in relief, 'The danger has passed…' _Just as Buggy was about the remove the fruit from his mouth, disaster struck. Shanks had come back, trying to tell Buggy about something the Captain had said and he scared Buggy enough to cause him to swallow the entire Devil Fruit! There was no getting it out! Screaming in rage, he grabbed Shanks' lapels and roared, "YOU! YOU BASTARD! I!"_

" _Hey, what's that paper?" Shanks ignored the threatening posture. It wasn't at all uncommon after all. He pointed toward the map that had fallen from Buggy's hand. Instantly, Buggy panicked and leapt from the deck, diving right after his precious map. Initially, everyone though Buggy's panicked flailing was just for show. Shanks even called out, "What are you doing Buggy? Swimming is your specialty!" But as Buggy sank, seemingly unable to move, Shanks panicked and dove after him._

"100,000,000 Beli. Gone!" Buggy's face was shadowed as he finished his tale, "And because I could never swim again, I missed out on the treasure too!"

Luffy growled, "So Shanks saved your life and you hate him for it? You idiot! Maybe if you hadn't tried to rob your comrades you wouldn't be stuck in the situation in the first place!"

"Because of that idiot, my plans were set back for decades!" Buggy roared at Luffy!

"It was your fault in the first place, you ugly Red Nose!" Luffy roared right back! He was _not_ in a good mood after his hat was stabbed by this bastard clown.

Buggy leapt into the air, five knives in each hand, "Shut up Mugiwara! I swore that if I couldn't have the treasure under the sea, I'D HAVE EVERY TREASURE ABOVE IT!" But Buggy didn't look at Luffy, "Whoever dares touch my treasure…is never left alive!" He rocketed forward, racing to impale Nami who was carrying a large, heavy bag full of treasure. She felt a shiver go up her spine as she spasmed momentarily. Her eyes hardened and she dropped the bag and reached under her skirt, assembling her staff once more.

But a few feet from her, Buggy gasped and dropped all of his knives, his hands reaching downward, grasping at 'items' that were not currently there. She smirked as she clocked him a good one, flattening his nose once more. He hit the ground hard and rolled away from her to the left. She looked over and saw Luffy lowering his foot from in between Buggy's legs. She broke out into giggles as Buggy rolled around hysterically in pain, "This…this bastard dared kick my lower half…while this flashy bitch hit my upper half." Nami's eye twitched.

CRACK

"Who are you calling a bitch, you ugly Red Nose!" She roared, shark teeth in full display.

Buggy twitched, " **BARA BARA FESTIVAL**!" He roared and broke into dozens of pieces, all flying like a cyclone! Nami screamed in fear and got away quickly! "Protect her now, Mugiwara!" Nami picked up the treasure and ran, even as Buggy chased her. Luffy perked up as he realized Buggy's feet weren't flying, and he used **Soru** to grab them. He then used **Soru** once more, away from Nami. Buggy had this comical look on his face as he panicked, "No wait-!" The rest of his parts vanished as his body struggled to keep to the maximum distance from his feet.

Round and round Luffy went, up and down, back and forth, using **Geppo** and **Soru** to their fullest. All in the effort to make Buggy _wish_ for death. Nami smirked and readied her staff and pulled another burlap sack from…somewhere. Each time the clown passed by, Nami smacked a part of him down and tied it up. Luffy caught her doing so out of the corner of his eyes and grinned brightly. When he finally stopped, he threw the feet and turned around. When Buggy's torso and head passed by him, he grinned and wound up, "GRIT THOSE TEETH!"

CRASH

A huge plume of smoke blasted up from where Luffy had _buried_ Buggy's head into the floor, a large indentation in the shape of Luffy's fist on his face. Luffy stepped back with a laugh and waited for Buggy to get up. If nothing else, the man could take a hit or ten. Buggy struggled to his feet, dizzily dropping back down multiple times before finally managing to levitate his body once more, arms spinning in an attempt to keep his balance. His eyes had swirls in them, which he struggled to will away, "You flashy bastards. I'll flashily kill you." He mumbled, even as he air-stumbled around, swiping at the birdies wearing straw hats around his head.

Finally, after around a minute of amusing the Straw Hat crew with his drunken-looking stumbling, he managed to regain his composure. "Wow Bummy! No…" Luffy looked like he was confused, "Muppy…no, that's not it either. Dummy…No… Buffoon! Yeah, that's it! I'm surprised you didn't throw up after all that, Buffoon!" Nami and Zoro burst into laughter behind him.

"I can't tell if he's just playing it up, or if he honestly thinks that's his name." Zoro cackled happily.

Nami rubbed a tear away from her eye, "It's _Luffy_! That was _so_ not intentional, which makes it even funnier!" She held her ribs as she giggles.

"Shishishi!" Luffy didn't know what they were laughing at, but he was happy his crew was amused.

"You flashy bastards. How dare you do this to me!" It looked like his spinning and twirling had finally caught up to Buggy, who was looking slightly green around the gills. He growled, "I'll kill you all, flashily! **Bara Bara Gather**!" His body parts started swirling around him, before recombining into a single body. "DAH!" Buggy had the funniest shocked look on his face. His mouth was practically bigger than his head, his eyes were white, and he had snot dripping from his nose. His arms were only hands and his legs were only feet and ankles. He had lost his entire lower body and much of his stomach.

Luffy, Nami, and Zoro practically collapsed in laugher, "Oh, you wouldn't happen to be looking for these, were you~?" She had the smuggest 'cat-that-got-the-canary' look on her face. Zoro was beside her, his foot on a wiggling bag of body parts, making sure none of it would escape.

"MY PARTS!" Buggy yelped in terror!

"Shishishi, looks like you're half the man you used to be!" Luffy howled. Nami did actually collapse then, using the giant bag of treasure behind her as a lumpy bean-chair.

"I'd say that's a little less than half, Luffy!" Zoro roared out while clutching his gut. His foot was on a wiggling bag of body parts, making sure none of it would escape.

"No…no more!" Nami giggled, legs in the air joyfully as she tried to calm herself.

"Shishishi, well Buffoon-" That set Nami off again, "I'd say it was nice meeting you, but that'd be lying. I'll make sure to tell Shanks what a clown you are when I see him!" He waved cheerfully with his eyes closed before windmilling his arms a few times. "Bye Bye!" His fist cracked into Buggy's face, breaking teeth and squishing his nose one final time. The clown's humiliation was complete.

Buggy went rocketing off into the distance, becoming a tiny pinprick in the horizon and disappearing as a twinkle. Seconds later, Zoro finally let go of the increasingly-straining bag of body parts and they hurtled off after him. "Shishishi, great job you guys!" he high fived Nami and bumped fists with Zoro. He pulled Nami into a tight hug, "You did awesomely Nami." She blushed, but wrapped her arms around him too with a happy little grin.

"THANK YOU!" They were startled apart when a voice they recognized rang through the air. It was Mayor Boodle, and it looked like he had every single member of the village with him! Boodle dropped to his knees, "THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart, thank you! You saved this village! If there is anything we can do to thank you, our heroes, please let us know!" The villagers all bowed their heads with their elder amidst much cheering.

"Hold up!" Luffy said seriously, "We're not heroes! Don't call us that! We're pirates!" Nami facepalmed behind him.

Boodle looked confused and sputtered, "What, but of course you're heroes! You saved us!"

Luffy looked serious, "I love heroes, don't get me wrong, but I don't wanna be one! Do you even know what a hero is?" The townsfolk looked incredibly confused, "Say you have a chunk of meat. Pirates would have a banquet and eat it! A hero would share that meat with everyone! I want all the meat for myself!"

Dead silence.

Nami had both her hands clapped to her face, "That's how he describes a hero?" She shook her head in bemusement, "Of course he does. It's Luffy."

Boodle suddenly chuckled, "Then we'll have to make sure you guys have plenty of meat for your journey, won't we?!" The townsfolk cheered in amusement.

Luffy had stars in his eyes, "Really? You're awesome, old guy!" His fists were pumped in excitement.

"And booze. It's important." Zoro said seriously, though he was smiling.

Nami shook her head, before addressing Boodle, "As much as it hurts me to do so, I left some treasure back in that warehouse over there." She pointed behind her, "It should be enough for you guys to rebuild somewhat."

Boodle had happy tears in his eyes, "Thank you all." He bowed. The elated town rounded up the rest of the Buggy pirates and slapped em in irons. The town jail – which previously had never had more than one criminal in it at a single time – was almost bursting. Then, the town broke for a massive party, with tons of meat for Luffy and food and Sake for Zoro and Nami.

Later on in the day, Luffy approached the mayor, "Hey old guy, do you happen to know where I could get a pipe?"

"Eh? Like this one?" Boodle pulled out his smoking pipe and showed it to Luffy.

"No, like one of those metal pipes that go in the wall." Luffy snickered, "I tossed my old pipe away when my brother left on his journey because there was no one to practice with. I need a new one to help train my crew. Shishishi!"

Boodle laughed, "Like a staff huh? Well, that monster Buggy destroyed plenty of our homes." His tone was sad, but his gaze was firm, "I suppose you could dig around and find one you like."

"Shishishi, thanks old guy!"

 **-]|[-**

Luffy, Nami, and Zoro were on the open seas once more. Nami was happily counting the amount of treasure she had managed to collect and checking their quality. "Amazing, this is at least eight million Beli!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy sat behind her and wrapped her closely in a hug. She snuggled up against his chest, "You happy?"

"Of course!" She exclaimed, pumping a fist, "This trip has been excellent! I've gathered over ten million now! I'm close now!"

"We'll have to make sure you get enough then, won't we?" Luffy squeezed her gently. She smiled and nestled against him, relaxing. Not even the thought of Arlong could bring her mood down any longer. Not when she was so close and especially not when Luffy had _effortlessly_ beat one of East Blue's terrors _without even using his Akuma no Mi!_

Hope. It was a foreign emotion. An emotion that Nami had experienced very little of in the past near-decade. It had been a long time since she had felt _any_. But she could still recognize it…and she couldn't deny her own feelings. She felt it bubbling up behind her breast, in her heart. Hope had started breaking through the cracks in the ice wall she'd erected around her heart. Hope in the form of the idiot she lay against.

She smiled softly and started rubbing gently against him, almost like a cat, but jerked up as Zoro lazily called out to them, "Boat!" She looked over where Zoro was lazily pointing, before smirking.

Indeed, there was a much larger dinghy coming close to them. They eyed it curiously as it came close, making out three men who were clearly the dumb muscle. The larger boat had Buggy's Jolly Roger raised proudly. "This is Buggy-sama's turf! We'll be taking all your valuables. Now.' They ordered, bearing weapons. Zoro, Luffy, and Nami smiled brightly.

CRACK, SHING, SMACK

A few minutes later, they were happily sailing away on their much larger dinghy. The three men had been dumped over on the tiny boat they had acquired from the villages, each beaten worse than the last. Nami grinned, "Too bad for them." She smirked as she counted yet more treasure that had been on the boat with ฿ in her eyes. "Dark clouds approaching from the south." Luffy and Zoro looked on in interest, "When it hits that low pressure area, a storm will develop." She grinned madly and singsonged, "All small boats should watch out~!" Instantly, the sky above the beaten pirates and their old small boat darkened. The waves started to roil and the boat capsized. "Bingo!" She threw out a thumbs up with a grin, "See ya!"

Luffy grabbed the laughing Nami from behind and pulled her into her usual seat, laughing all the while, "That was awesome! You're amazing Nami!"

Nami flushed, "Ah, it wasn't that big of a deal." She said bashfully. She grinned then as she snuggled into him, "So…we probably need to get ourselves an actual ship now. I don't want to sail under this ugly flag forever."

"Damn right." Luffy huffed, glaring at the Buggy Jolly Roger, "If it wasn't the only sail we have I'd rip the whole thing down."

Nami grinned and patted him on the head, drawing her attention to the ripped straw hat on his head, "Here, give me that." She swiped his hat, "I'll fix it up for you. Why is this hat so important to you anyway?"

She felt him stiffen for a moment right when her hand touched the brim and for a moment she worried that she had overstepped herself, but he relaxed again. He hugged her tightly as she got out a sewing kit. "Thank you Nami. That hat belonged to Shanks. It was his precious hat…his treasure! He got it from his own Captain back when he was just a cabin boy with that idiot Buggy!" He smiled lightly, "After he saved my life, I swore to him that I would become the Pirate King!" He chuckled, "I expected him to laugh and tease me, just like he always had."

 _"I'll leave this precious hat of mine to you."_

He smiled as he accepted the newly fixed hat from Nami, giving her a tight hug once more, "Instead, he took the hat off his head and put it on mine. It was our promise together! He believed in me!"

Nami sighed, wrapping her arms around his, "He sounds like a great person…" She thought, her smile turning a bit bittersweet, ' _If only he could have dropped by Cocoyashi before leaving…_ '

Luffy seemed to sense her slightly down mood, so he whispered in her ear, drawing a shiver from the girl, "Just remember Nami, you're my precious friend. Anything you ever need, and I'll do it for you. You just have to ask."

She smiled, "Thank you Luffy." She tried to push the dark thoughts from her mind, "So…where to, Captain?"

He pumped a fist up, "ADVENTURE!"

She laughed gaily. Well, adventure wasn't quite a heading, but it'd have to do.

 **-]|[-**

 **And finished! Damn, I had really wanted to do both the Buggy arc as well as Usopp's arc in this chapter, but it seems I have the long-chapter fever. It just got away from me and ended up being MUCH longer than I had expected. I figured that if I misjudged this arc** _ **that**_ **badly, that I would just cut it short and tackle Usopp next time. I'm afraid I just** _ **don't**_ _ **like**_ **skimping on detail. It's kind of irritating that I JUST barely missed hitting the 40k threshold by under 1k words with this chapter, but I'm not going to fluff it up just to hit that.  
**

 **The fights were unfortunately kind of boring, but what can you really do? For all Buggy's bluster and his time on the Oro Jackson he's…a weakling really. He isn't even strong enough to make Luffy use his powers. I can't even recall him using Haki before in Canon! Zoro was also uninjured. Basically the only excitement I managed to have with the fights was Nami! And as you can tell, I don't intend to have her be the damsel in distress! What does that mean for her end game? Well, you'll have to find out. Mwuahahahaha!**

 **Also, before anyone asks, Luffy does NOT have any control or even knowledge of Haki yet. The guy who fainted, foaming at the mouth was just** _ **really**_ **terrified. Luffy is** _ **scary**_ **when mad.**

 **I don't know what it is about One Piece, but writing for it is just SO MUCH more enjoyable than the other fandoms I've written for. It's awesome! I hope I can keep this momentum train rolling! That said, I will never give you guys a due date. I have college and somewhat limited writing time. They'll get out when they get out.**

 **So, next chapter will be Usopp's arc! See you all then!**


	3. No plan survives contact with Luffy

**Hey everyone!**

 **Well, I didn't intend to take as long of a break as I did from this story, but…well…**

 **How My Muse Works:**

 **Muse? Muse! Where are you going Muse?**

 **Muse, we're supposed to be working on Supernova or CRUSH! Muse!**

 **MMMMMUUUUUUUSSSSSSSEEEEEEEE**

 **-]|[-**

 **Anyway, I have a new 'story' posted that you guys may not have seen, since… IT WAS ACTUALLY SHORT FOR ONCE. I personally use at least a 5k word filter when I'm searching for new fics, so you may have missed it. It's essentially a 'grab bag' of ideas I wanted to write about but don't have the time or (currently) the desire to flesh out into a full fic. Or maybe I just want some early opinions on them. Some of the stuff in there will be self-responses to some of my challenges. If you've liked my previous work, check it out and see if you find something you like!**

 **Anyway, I would really like to thank everyone who played a hand in making this fic (as well as CRUSH!) so immediately popular. I never even imagined I would hit over 100 reviewers in only two chapters and yet here we are, past 110 and almost at 15k views.**

 **-]|[-**

 **CHALLENGE TIME!**

 **So, I have new (Well, these were posted in my grab bag, but I imagine they'll be more visible here) challenges for you all!**

 **This first one is pretty simple! The only requirement (other than the standard requirements for my challenges. If you don't know them, feel free to go to my profile and look at the other ones) is that Luffy does NOT eat a Devil Fruit. He MUST become a complete badass like Garp, Shanks, and Rayleigh through only his Haki and maybe Rokushiki/Fishman Karate. I'm talking One Punch Man here! (Okay, maybe not THAT OP) I want him swimming in the Calm Belt wrestling Sea Kings people!**

 **The second is that Luffy eats the 'Titan' Devil Fruit. What does this mean? This Fruit can be either simple or complex, depending on you. You can make it a straight out Paramecia and have him simply be INCREDIBLY strong and capable of freely changing his own size to become absolutely massive (San Juan Wolf size or bigger). OR you can go full out Greek Titan with him and make it a sort of hybrid Paramecia/Mythical-Zoan Fruit, where he can both change his size as well as control some sort of element or power. Pairing: At the very least, I want some Luffy/Shirahoshi action. :D**

 **WARNING: THIS NEXT ONE IS A REALLY, REALLY STUPID IDEA**

 **The Straw Hats have conquered the Grand Line and seen everything there is to see. While lazing about in complete boredom, *something happens* and the** ** _entire crew_** **gets tossed into the Mass Effect Universe. Hilarity ensues.**

 **Yeah, don't ask. I don't know why I thought of this one either.**

 **-]|[-**

 **This chapter took way longer than it should. At least half of it was already written for several months. It just would** ** _not_** **move forward. It's such a boring part of the East Blue Saga in my opinion. Even in canon Luffy basically roflstomped Kuro. I don't think he even really needed to get injured, though he did. I'm also not a fan of Luffy being hypnotized, though I suppose I can write that off as him not being a Conquering King.**

 ** _Yet_** **.**

 **All the same, I actually had a decent amount of fun with this one for one reason. You guys are getting the first inklings of what I'm planning on doing with Nami. Mwahahaha!**

 **-]|[-**

 **Chapter III: No plan survives contact with Luffy**

 **-]|[-**

"CAPTAIN!" The voice of a young child cried out in terror, "BAD NEWS! REALLY BAD NEWS!" Tamanegi was the name of the boy, who looked rather like an onion.

"Eh? What is it?" The one speaking was a young man named Usopp. He was a pretty slim teen with bushy black hair, fat lips, and a rather…long nose. He was heavily tanned, wore a set of brown overalls with a white sash, and an olive-green plaid bandana. He had just finished his daily ritual of scaring the town into thinking that pirates were coming to attack, which had him in a pretty decent mood from the day's turnout.

"PIRATES ARE COMING!" The nearly hysterical boy yelled.

"Liar." Usopp and two other children – Ninjin (who looked like a carrot) and Piiman (who looked like a pepper) – all deadpanned simultaneously. Usopp continued, "I already did the lying today, Tamanegi."

"I'm being serious!" The boy cried, "I saw their flag and everything! It was black with the symbol of Buggy the Clown on it!"

"What!" Usopp gasped. He steeled himself, "Alright guys. We have something very important to do." The three boys leaned in eagerly, "Usopp Pirates…! Let's go get snacks!" Usopp yelled with a giant grin before turning and marching towards town with his fist held high!

"DON'T RUN AWAY!"

"But…but I have a serious condition!" Usopp yelled, "My INeedToGoEatitis is acting up!"

Pepper yelled at him, "Aren't you always saying how you want to be a real pirate, captain!"

"How can you be a pirate if you're afraid of other pirates!" Carrot followed up.

"Besides, there's only three of them!" Onion finished the whole tirade.

"What? Three?" Usopp blinked, "It isn't a big ship?"

"No, just a medium sized dinghy!" Onion yelled back.

"Okay! Let's go repel these invaders! Usopp pirates, move out!"

 **-]|[-**

"Well, at least we only had to starve for one day, this time." Nami deadpanned as they were pushing the boat further up the beach.

"We should have brought more food." Zoro told her.

"We packed so much we barely floated!" Nami yelled back at him angrily.

"We need a ship! A real ship!" Luffy declared while picking his nose. "But I'm impressed! There really was an island here!"

"You're so directionally challenged I'm amazed you even managed to survive long enough to meet me. You just had to follow the map." Nami said dryly.

"Well I did get sucked into that whirlpool on my second day." Luffy remembered, and started chuckling.

His two crewmates stared at him with dead, unimpressed eyes, "Why am I not surprised in the slightest."

"So, is there a village here?" Luffy asked curiously.

"There should be. I hope _someone_ here has a ship, though I'm not sure how we would even acquire it. I mean _I'm_ not paying for it." She stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Leave it to fate." Zoro said calmly. Whatever retort Nami was going to throw at him was interrupted, "By the way, what are those guys doing?" He pointed curiously at the cliffs, where there were four visible heads doing a poor job at staying hidden.

"AHHH! WE'RE FOUND!" The three young boys yelled in terror before running away with their arms high in the air.

"WAH! Don't run away!" The oldest roared at them with his eyes popping out. He grit his teeth before standing tall and proud on top of the stump they had been hiding behind, "I am the great pirate fleet leader Usopp!" He declared loudly, "I'm in charge of the security of this village! Known far and wide as 'Captain,' Captain Usopp!" The three pirates shot him dull, unimpressed looks. He probably would have been more convincing if his knees weren't visibly trembling and chattering against one another, "It's for the best if you don't try to attack this place." He chuckled sinisterly, "Otherwise my 80 million men will destroy you! Leave now!"

"Liar." Nami deadpanned.

"GACK! How did you know!" Usopp cried out in terror, backing away in a silly pose.

"You just told me." She giggled behind her hand, a sweatdrop on her head.

"ARGH!" Usopp cringed back, "Did I really just do that?! Bad planning! Bad planning!"

Luffy just started laughing, "You're so funny!"

Usopp immediately went from cringing to angry with a dropped jaw and popping eyes, "Hey, Don't underestimate me!" He pointed towards himself with his thumb angrily, "I am a man with high self-esteem! Everyone calls me 'The honorable Usopp!'" He yanked a slingshot out of the bag he had at his hip, "My skills with this slingshot are better than a pistol!"

Luffy's head dipped, and he pressed his hat to his head. His eyes are shadowed, "You mentioned pistols." He looked at Usopp, a hard look in his eyes, "Are you prepared to bet your life on it?" His eyes were just so hard, it was as if he was boring straight into Usopp with his gaze, "Guns aren't toys to scare people with." He looked as if he was going to beat Usopp to within an inch of his life. Even Nami was sweating lightly.

Zoro smirked, before looking at Usopp with a bloodthirsty grin. He used his thumb to push his treasured blade out of its sheath slightly, "The person before you is a _real_ pirate." They both stared at the trembling Usopp unblinkingly, watching his every move.

Usopp had large beads of sweat building on his face as his trembling increased. Finally, something had to give. Usopp fell to his knees, tiny tears prickling in his eyes, "As I thought." He said in self-depreciation, "A true pirate's speech is much more intimidating."

Zoro and Luffy smirked at each other, before bursting out into laughter. Nami smacked them both upside the head, which didn't even register in the merry boys, "You weren't serious!" She shrieked, "Damn it Luffy! You looked like you were going in for round two with Buggy!"

Usopp's eyes bulged, even as Luffy continued to laugh with Zoro, "You fought Buggy the Clown!?"

"That's right. Shishishi!" Luffy grinned up at him, "And I was just copying what that great man said!" His grin widened, "Shanks!"

Usopp gasped, "Sh-Shanks! You know Shanks!"

"I do!" Luffy stared up at him with his teeth showing, "Yassop right?" Usopp almost fell of the cliff in shock, "That's your dad's name, isn't it?"

 **-]|[-**

"You're looking for crewmembers?" Usopp gasped, his mind going to the seas, where his dreams were. Oh, if only he weren't such a coward! "Sounds like a big adventure!"

Luffy bit a large chunk of meat right off the bone, "Yeah, we are. We need a bigger ship too. Know anywhere we could find one?"

Usopp crossed his arms and grinned smugly, "There's only one place in this town where you would be able to find such a thing!"

Nami perked up, "Really?"

"That's right." Usopp nodded, "Up on the hill is a large mansion that belongs to a wealthy family. The ship belongs to the owner." He started to look down, "Although…well…we say she's the owner, but she's really a pitiful girl. She's always sick and always in bed…"

Nami had a sad look of realization on her face, "She inherited it from her parents, didn't she?"

Usopp nodded unhappily, "It happened a year ago… Her parents died of a sickness. They left her with the mansion and all of their money. She even has over ten servants."

Nami shook her head, "And none of that matters to a broken heart." Her countenance closed up as she thought of her own woes, taking a momentary glance at Luffy, who was busy stuffing his face. She sighed and sat up, "We won't bother her. We'll search for a ship somewhere else."

"No we won't." Luffy said cheerfully around his leg of meat.

"What?" Nami's eyes widened and she stared at him in disbelief, "But Luffy!"

"But nothing." Luffy said, turning serious, "Of course the poor girl is sick. All she has are servants and she only stays in that house. How is she supposed to get better like that? What she needs are friends…who let her know the world isn't over."

Nami and Usopp stared at him in stunned disbelief. It was just so…not Luffy. It made Nami remember that even he had gone through loss.

And then he went back to his regular grinning self, "Anyway. We're in no rush. I still want more meat."

"And the moment is gone." Nami smirked in relief, even as she rolled the words around in her head.

"Anyway." Usopp cut in, "You said you were looking for companions too?" Luffy turned to him in interest. Usopp smirked, "Let me be the Captain, and I'll join you."

"Never mind." Luffy, Nami, and Zoro said in unison.

"WHAT KIND OF ATTITUDE IS THAT!" Usopp screamed in shock, his jaw unhinged and shark teeth prominent in his jaw.

 **-]|[-**

"The Usopp Pirates are here!" The three little kids roared at Luffy's crew while holding tiny wooden daggers in their tiny fists, "Wh…where is the Captain? GIVE US BACK OUR CAPTAIN!"

"Man, that was some good meat!" Luffy yelled in contentment as he patted his slightly swollen stomach.

"M…meat?" The kids repeated in horror, staring at them as if they were ghosts. Nami giggled behind her hand while Zoro smirked broadly at them. "What did you do! What did you do!"

Zoro chuckled darkly, angling his head so that his face would be shadowed. He had a creepy grin on his face and his eyes were wide, "Your captain…we ate him!"

The thought registered in their terrified heads for a moment, before they all screamed in unison, "AHHHHH! ONIBABA!" Their eyes were popping out of their skulls and their mouths were wide open in terror. Snot dripped from their noses.

"What are you looking at me for!" Nami screamed back with angry shark teeth filling her mouth. They all passed out, so she whirled to Zoro, "What did you go telling them that for?" Zoro just laughed.

When the kids had woken up, they cleared up Zoro's little joke, before asking them about Usopp, "It's that time again?"

"Yeah." Luffy nodded while picking his nose, "He just yelled that suddenly in a panic and raced off almost without saying goodbye a while ago."

Pepper chuckled, "Oh, the Captain goes up to the mansion up on the hill."

Onion chimed in, "Yep. He goes there to lie to the Mistress!"

Nami's eyes narrowed, "Lie to the Mistress? Why would he do a scummy thing like that?"

Carrot shook his head and held his hands up in the 'easy, easy' motion, "No, no! It's actually a very good thing."

Pepper picked up, "Mistress Kaya lives up there all alone with her servants. She gets pretty lonely, so Captain decided he would try to cheer her up with made up stories!"

Luffy grinned, "So he's a pretty good guy huh."

Nami sweatdropped, saying a quiet prayer for Usopp's future sanity in her head. ' _At this rate even I'll turn into one of these crazy people._ ' She giggled.

"I like him." Luffy declared with crossed arms, "I wonder if he can fight at all."

"I like the Captain's nosiness!" Carrot chirped up.

"I like his cowardice!" Pepper cheered.

"I like his lies!" Onion finished off.

"What kind of strong points are those?" Zoro mumbled to himself while sweat-dropping.

Luffy grinned and stood up, his chair scraping the floor behind him, "Well, if the Mistress is doing a little better, why don't we go pay them a little visit."

 **-]|[-**

"Helloooo! Anyone hoooommmmeeee!" Luffy asked calmly, "Please lend us a ship!"

"Idiot. No one is going to hear you if you say things that quietly." Nami deadpanned.

"Oh you're right. Guess we just have to go in then." Luffy hopped up onto the top rail of the fence in a single bound.

Nami chuckled, "Maybe he's not _as_ stupid as we think, eh Zoro?" The green-haired man chuckled, and followed up with his own leap, the kids all held up by their collars in his hands. "Oi, don't leave me down here!" Nami called after them in annoyance. She leapt, but without any true leg training only made it three-quarters of the way up from that zero-momentum leap. Luffy grabbed her hand and helped her up the rest of the way.

Once on the other side, they heard some delighted feminine giggling. Usopp's voice rang out, "And to this day, they call me-"

"Captain!" The three kids yelled eagerly.

"That's right! Captain!" He blinked, "Wait what!" He had this wide-eyed look of surprise, "What are you all doing here?"

"Hmm, who are all of you?" Kaya asked in slight confusion. She was a slim, beautiful young girl with platinum blonde hair and light blonde eyes.

Usopp saw his chance and immediately cut in, "Ah, these are a bunch of my fans. They've travelled far and wide to meet-"

"Ah!" Luffy smiled brightly up at the young woman, "You must be Kaya! Nice to meet you! I'm Luffy! This is Nami and Zoro." Usopp just boggled at the interruption.

Luffy's smile was infectious, and Kaya responded in kind, "A pleasure, Luffy-san, Nami-san, Zoro-san." She did have a pretty beautiful smile. Luffy could see why Usopp loved seeing it so much, "Is there anything you are here for?"

"Yeah. We have a request for you!" Luffy explained, "See, we're in need of a bigger ship."

Nami stepped up beside him, "We heard you had one that was rather unused." She smiled up at the pretty young girl, "We wanted to see if there was any way you could be convinced to part with it."

Kaya smiled at the thought of the old ship seeing _any_ excitement. It had just been collecting dust and barnacles ever since her parents had died. She wanted to go out to sea once more, but she was too weak to do so. Klahadore would never allow it. "Y-" She had meant to reply positively, but the voice of her head butler cut across the lawn.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" The voice belonged to a tall, slim man. He was clad in a well-designed, nearly pure black suit with twin golden markings on the front. He wore round, wire-framed glasses and had black hair that was slicked back. "You all are trespassing! You can't just barge into a mansion like this!"

"Klahadore listen!" Kaya tried to vouch for her new friends with a hesitant smile on her face. Or at least she hoped they were new friends, "These people are-"

But Klahadore didn't even let her finish her sentence, "There is no need to explain." He cut her off callously, "We shall speak about it later. All of you. Leave!"

But that _one_ statement pinged right off of Nami's radar as suspicious. She had been around the block a fair number of times. The Cruise Ship Luffy had found her on was definitely not the first fancy party she had infiltrated in her hunt for pirates and their treasures. She _knew_ how rich people and their servants acted. What kind of butler would do what that man just did? Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward to come shoulder to shoulder with Luffy, "Excuse me." Her voice was tight, and as the man turned to her, she enquired, "Are you the master of this mansion? Are you Kaya's husband?"

"NO!" Kaya screamed in shock while Klahadore replied the same with his own surprise.

"I am Kaya-sama's Head Butler." He said tightly, his own eyes narrowed.

"Then kindly do not interrupt your Mistress when she is doing business." Nami never had been one to just take it. Even when she knew it was hopeless, she still tried. She had failed countless times in assassinating Arlong herself, and she wasn't about to let a butler talk down to her crew like this. Her voice was as sharp as a whip, "Not only did you interrupt her business as if you owned the house, but you also were incredibly rude in cutting her off mid-speech."

Klahadore blustered – and did not miss the look of surprise on Kaya's face, "Mistress Kaya is sick. She can't handle this kind of excitement."

"Funny." Luffy was smirking, "She looks pretty lively for a sick, bed-ridden girl who can't have any visitors. Or at least she _did_ up until you showed up." Kaya looked back and forth between her trusted advisor and her new friends, who were standing up for her even if they had only just met, "Maybe you should stop smothering her and let her live."

Klahadore grit his teeth, seeing himself being not only stonewalled by these ruffians, but seeing Kaya looking _contemplative_. He turned to a far, far easier target. He calmed himself and adjusted his glasses with the bottom of the palm of his hand. It was such a weird motion. Why do that? "You. You're Usopp-kun are you not? I've heard the villagers talk about you."

"…" Kaya was silent, but she had a worried look on her face.

Usopp was all smiles, "That's right! I'm glad you've heard of me! You can call me Captain Usopp! Everyone does!"

Klahadore adjusted his glasses once more. Really, one would think he would avoid looking down if they were that poorly made. "I heard from the other guards that you were lurking about. What do you want?"

"Ah…" Usopp was put on the spot, but he always was good at stories. As a small bead of sweat rolled down his face, he said, "I heard there was a giant mole inside the mansion and I wanted to come see it."

"Hahaha." The man chuckled mirthlessly, "Yes, I can see that you certainly can lie well." Usopp's eyes widened, not expecting Klahadore to actually call him out on it, "I've heard about your father too." Usopp's face lost its grin, "You're the son of a filthy pirate who abandoned your mother. I'm not surprised you turned out this way."

Usopp's face contorted into an ugly grimace, "Take it back." He said quietly, fists clenched into tight balls.

"You and the Mistress belong to entirely different worlds! Stay away from her! Is it money you're after? Name your price!"

"Klahadore That's enough! Apologize at once!" Kaya screamed at her butler in shock.

"Nonsense." Klahadore sneered at Usopp, "I'm merely speaking the truth. There's no need for me to apologize to this uncivilized person." He pushed his glasses back into place, "I feel sorry for you. You must hate your father. After all, he's just an uncivilized, worthless, filthy nobody who deserted his family." But it wasn't Usopp's rightfully _furious_ punch that came next.

It was Luffy's incredulous, hysterical laughter. "Bahahaha! Stop! You're killing me!" He fell to his knees holding his stomach in laughter, "Stop! I can't…can't take it! I can't breathe!" He started rolling on the floor.

His own crew plus Kaya stared at him in dumbfounded shock, while Usopp merely looked betrayed. Klahadore meanwhile snorted, "Are you right in the head?"

Luffy got up, still laugh-crying, "You're a funny man. You should quit being a butler and become a clown. You'd fit right in."

"Excuse me?" Klahadore asked indignantly.

"Shishishi." Luffy got up and stared at him from under his head, his eyes shadowed. He had a wide grin on his face, but it wasn't one of his usual bright, happy grins. No, this one was dark and Nami could recognize the desire to rearrange Klahadore's face in it. She smirked as well, and wished she had popcorn for the upcoming show, "Do you even know who his father is? Do you know his name?"

Klahadore sneered, "Why should I know the name of a worthless hack?"

Luffy's grin widened, "Yassop. That is his name. His crew stopped by my town long ago, back when I was young. The guy wouldn't shut up about his beloved son and how much he missed him." Usopp had tears in his eyes, "What makes me laugh is that a no name like you would dare call Yassop, Third Hand of the Red-Haired Pirates a worthless nobody." Kuro and Kaya's eyes both snapped open, "I wasn't aware a ' _nobody'_ could be the head sniper of a _Yonko_. That was the funniest joke I've ever heard. Shishishi!"

Usopp was grinning proudly, but Klahadore only spat, "Him? Preposterous! You're as bad of a liar as he is!"

"I'm proud of my father!" Usopp roared in his face, "I'm proud that he is a Brave Warrior of the Sea!"

"What are you so angry about?" Klahadore had regained his calm composure, "All you have to do is lie, like you always do. Just say he's a merchant, or that you're not blood related..." But Usopp had taken all he was willing to take.

BAM

Usopp reached in and dug into strength he didn't even know he had. He hit Klahadore so hard across the face that the skin split open and blood spewed through the air. Unbeknownst to everyone except the three sharp-eyed pirates and Klahadore himself, Klahadore hands had twitched. It was as if he wanted to block, but held himself back. All three Strawhats narrowed their eyes.

"!" Kaya clapped a hand to her mouth in shock. She was truly torn. Klahadore truthfully had been out of line, but she didn't like violence. Tears started welling up in her eyes.

"Gah." Klahadore clapped a hand over the gash that had opened up, "So quick to turn to violence. Like father like son, I guess." He spat in victory.

"Shut your mouth!" Usopp roared, "I'm proud that my father is a pirate! You're right that I like to lie, but I'll never lie about _that_! I don't have to pretend that I'm not! I'm the son of a pirate!"

Klahadore sneered, "Don't twist the truth. You have the blood of a savage in you and that's why you're so quick to turn to violence and that's why you like to lie." He spat a bit of blood out of his mouth, "You're only here because you want to take the Mistress's money!" Usopp growled at him, "The fact that your father is a pirate is more than enough reason to kick you out of here!" Usopp grabbed his lapel and drew back for yet another punch, but a tearful Kaya had enough.

"Usopp! Please stop!" Tears were leaking down her face, "Please…no more. Klahadore isn't a bad man! He just cares too much! That's why he's a little extreme!"

Usopp growled, but let go of Klahadore with a little shove. The man smirked and fixed himself up as best he could, "Get the hell out of here." He fixed his glasses last, "Savages like you are not allowed here. I'll let you off this time, but never come back!"

Kaya was distraught. These were her friends! "I did not give that order." She said quietly, tearfully, but Klahadore's eye widened, "Klahadore, we will be talking about your behavior here!" She turned to Usopp, "Usopp please…"

But Usopp's rage was too high right now. He had already walked off, stewing.

Klahadore smirked in victory, unseen to Kaya, "All of you! Leave with him! Now!"

Luffy was about as angry as Usopp was, and they all glared at him in unison. Luffy let go of some of the shackles on his power as he tried to stare a hole into the man. The heat coming from his body was focused solely on him, so no one else felt it. Klahadore instantly broke out into a savage sweat, and actually unconsciously took a fearful step back. How could he be feeling such an utter chill down his spine when it was so hot? _Why_ was it so hot?

Luffy cut his gaze and turned to Kaya, "It was nice meeting you Kaya." He said clearly with a small smile. With that, he turned and grabbed the three kids. Zoro turned and followed without another word. Nami gave the man one last glare before smiling up at the young girl. With a nod of her head, she was gone too.

Outside the compound, Zoro decided to speak up, "Did either of you notice?"

Luffy nodded, still too angry to speak. To both of their surprise, Nami spoke up, "I did as well." They both turned to her with wide eyes. She pouted, before smirking a little, "I guess your training has been good for me. I wouldn't have noticed two weeks ago." But she went serious, "That man."

"He's had some training." Zoro concluded.

"And no servant would ever so blatantly embarrass his mistress the way he did." Nami chimed in.

"Keep an eye out." Luffy chuckled, "I'm going to go find Usopp."

 **-]|[-**

"Kaya-sama. Lunch is ready. May I come in?"

"I don't want it. Go away!" She had been sobbing into her pillow for hours, but her eyes were dry now, "I don't want to eat. It doesn't taste good."

"The chef will be sad to hear that." Klahadore ignored her and came in anyway, "He works so hard on making sure everything is beneficial to your health."

He pushed the small cart and tray into the room and left it near Kaya's usual chair. He made to leave, but she didn't allow it. Unbeknownst even to her, Luffy's words had struck home. Kaya had been more lively and cheerful than she had been in ages until Klahadore had ruined everything. Unconsciously, it emboldened her a small bit, "I believe I told you we would be speaking." Klahadore stiffened a tad, surprised at her boldness, "Why did you have to speak to them like that?" She sighed, "I'm sorry I kept it from you. Speaking to Usopp the way I did was my fault, but I did not appreciate you chasing him away. Nor did I appreciate you interrupting my talk with Luffy-san and his crew."

He looked at her shrewdly, though his face was a mask of calmness. What in the world could have heartened her like this? "May I sit?"

"Please." She waved her hand at the bed, which had more than enough room on it for that.

"I've been in this house for three years." He said while looking up at the ceiling, "I can never forget what happened that day. The kindness that your father showed me. I had been working on a ship and was fired for a small, insignificant mistake. He took me in, helped me get back on my feet." He turned to her, "Had your father not done that, I would certainly have died. He and your mother were my saviors, and you are their daughter!" He looked down, "I know that interfering with your friendships is none of this lowly servant's business, but that Usopp character is really not trusted at all! I fear for you!" He yelled, "If anything happened to you under my watch, I would feel as if I betrayed your parents myself!"

Kaya sighed, "I know." She smiled lightly, "Don't think I'm not thankful to you, Klahadore. But you went too far."

He sighed in return, "I know I was a little rough. Do you hate me for it?"

She shook her head, "No. You just entirely misunderstand Usopp! He's not a bad person!"

"Doesn't matter." And selective deafness kicked in.

She growled, "Grr…why will you not listen to my explanation!"

 **-]|[-**

"BAD NEWS!" Onion came screaming towards the other two kids in his group, as well as Nami and Zoro. "Weird guy!" He panted, "Backwards!" He clenched his knees, "There's a weird guy walking backwards!"

"Liar!" The two kids told him.

"It's true! Look!"

And wouldn't you know it, there was a man dressed in a blue trench coat, pants, and a wide-brimmed, pointed hat moonwalking towards them, "Hey! Who said I'm a weird guy?" He finally finished shuffling past them so they could see his face. He was wearing a set of red-lensed, heart-shaped glasses and he had a strange, striped thing growing out of his chin , "I'm not weird!"

"Yes you are." Nami deadpanned, cringing away slightly, "Any way I look at you, you look weird."

"Shut up!" He yelled, "I'm just a passing hypnotist!" The kids immediately grew excited and started asking him to show them tricks, "Idiots! You don't have any idea of what a hypnotist is! I can't just show you my skills!" He took out a pendulum, "So look at this! When I say, ' _One, Two, Jango_ ,' you will all fall asleep!"

"You're showing them anyway?" Zoro smirked in amusement.

"One, two, Jango!" And with that, all four of the idiots were asleep.

"What the hell is he doing…?" Zoro and Nami sighed. They were definitely _not_ impressed.

 **-]|[-**

"Yo!" Luffy clapped a hand onto Usopp's shoulder, scaring the life out of the boy who thought he was alone!

"Can't you be more normal!" Usopp roared. Luffy was hanging from a tree branch upside-down in front of him.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed as he let go of the branch and spun so that he landed cleanly beside Usopp.

They sat in silence for a moment, before Usopp spoke up, "Is my dad really that amazing?" He asked timidly.

"Of course he is." Luffy looked and sounded affronted, "I wouldn't lie about something like that." He chuckled, "I once saw him shoot the wings off a fly from across town after bouncing it off three metal plates and three corners." Usopp's jaw dropped straight off of his skull. "He never shut up about you either. I probably knew more about you than I did about him during the year they stayed. Shishishi!" He grinned wide with his eyes closed.

Usopp was practically crying, "Thanks Luffy." Luffy merely clapped his shoulder again, "To tell you the truth, I am and always will be proud of him, even if he left me for the sea! But that bastard Klahadore! He looked down on my pride!"

"I know." Luffy huffed, "That guy was a jerk. I wanted to pound him into the ground, but you got to do it instead." He turned to the dark-skinned boy, "You going to give up on seeing Kaya? She looked incredibly sad when you left without a word."

Of course he wouldn't. He could never stay away from _her_. "Dunno." He said callously, "Maybe if that jackass apologizes and begs for me to come back, I will."

Luffy smirked. They both knew that was a lie, "Well, looks like you'll get your chance."

Usopp's eyes popped out! "Why is he here!" He whisper-screamed!

Luffy and Usopp were up on the cliffs, looking down at the beachhead below. Klahadore had shown up, as had a really strange looking guy with heart-shaped sunglasses. They quieted down to listen, "Jango." Klahadore sounded irritated, "Didn't I tell you not to draw attention to yourself? Why did you fall asleep in the middle of the street?"

Jango sounded indignant, "How could I attract attention? It's not like I look weird or anything."

"…" Klahadore did not look impressed. "Anyway. Are you prepared?"

"Why of course." Jango said, "Everything is ready for operation 'Assassinate the Ojousama.' We can begin at any time."

Up on the cliff's Usopp's eyes popped out in horror, while Luffy merely had confirmation that there was an ass on this island that needed a good kicking.

"Assassinate is such an … ugly word." Klahadore complained.

"Ah, right, right!" Jango snapped his fingers, "'Accident' then. The Ojousama's ' _accident_.' Isn't that right, Captain Kuro?"

Kuro's teeth ground inside his jaw, "Captain Kuro. I believe I told you never to call me that again. I gave up that name three years ago. You are the Captain now."

Up on the bluffs, Usopp was working himself into a panic. Captain Kuro? Kuro of a Thousand Plans? The Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates? That Kuro!? But he had been executed… _three years ago._ When _Klahadore_ had shown up.

"I still remember that day." Jango commented idly, "It shocked me to the core, it did. You told us you were going to quit piracy and made me Captain." He walked away, both arms wide with his thumbs pointing down, "Everyone thinks Captain Kuro was executed by the Marines, but you've really been hiding out in this quaint little village." He sat on a rock, "You told us to come here in three years' time." He grinned, "When I worked under you in the past, there were a lot of benefits. I get a good share…right?"

"Of course." Kuro commented, "If you succeed, you'll get an…excellent reward."

"Good." Jango said, "You can leave the girl to me. At dawn, we'll charge in and destroy the town and kill the girl. Easy as that, and you'll be able to claim the inheritance."

"Killing her is not enough." Kuro said sharply, "I sometimes wonder if your mother gave you a brain." He sounded extremely annoyed, "I'm not of her blood. I cannot claim an inheritance like that! Not only must it look like an accident, but there is an extremely important step you _must not forget_. I have spent three years here building a reputation and gaining the trust of the people. Before you kill her, you need to _hypnotize_ her! Hypnotize her and force her to write my name on a will, leaving everything to me!" He grinned evilly, "That way I can claim her fortune. As soon as she writes that will, no one will suspect me."

Jango scoffed, "Just for this you became a butler for three years? I would have just robbed her."

"And that's why I was the Captain, you bloody idiot." Kuro spat, "If I had done that, I would still be an outlaw with the Marines chasing me. Like this, I can get all of her fortune and not have those idiots of Justice bothering me." He smirked and tapped his head, "Using my head is a much better way to settle things."

Jango chuckled, "Whatever. Just send the signal and we'll be here. We've been anchored nearby for nearly a week. I can hardly hold them back."

"Man, that's a crappy plan you have!" The plan wasn't the only crappy thing about the situation, the dumbfounded and horrified Usopp mused as Luffy _stood up and declared his presence to the two evil men below_.

Both of the men snapped to attention, "You!" Kuro's eyes narrowed, "And how is my plan crappy, hmm?" His eyes narrowed, "And Usopp-kun as well…"

Luffy smirked and crossed his arms, "See, your whole crappy plan relies on _getting through me_."

"How troublesome." Jango commented, and took a pendulum out of his pocket, "Why don't you stare at this for me? On ' _One, two, Jango_ ,' you will fall asleep." Luffy stared at it in curiosity, "One, two, Jango!"

And Luffy was out like a light, "Zzzzzz…" A snot bubble inflated in front of his nose, and he keeled forward. Off he went, right down the side of the cliff. He crashed down behind some rocks. Instantly upon impact, his body reacted to the danger and transformed into plasma. His superheated body started boring a hole straight into the sand, melting it into glass. Because of the boulders that were randomly placed about, the two men didn't notice that Luffy definitely wasn't dead.

Jango fell asleep too, as Kuro caught him, "Still have that stupid habit huh?" He deadpanned as he shook his former first mate awake.

Usopp stared in shock, before screaming at the two men, "YOU KILLED HIM!"

Jango slapped himself, "Damn… That was a mistake. I didn't mean to kill the dumb brat." He turned to Kuro, "What about that one?"

Kuro smirked, "Don't worry about it. Even if he screams our plan to the town at the top of his lungs, not a single person would believe him."

Usopp grit his teeth, "I hate you!" He roared before turning tail and running the other way. As he passed the rest of Luffy's crew and his own, he knew what he had to do. He ran past them without a word and into the town proper, "PIRATES!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, "PIRATES ARE GOING TO ATTACK TOMORROW!" As he ran, he continued shouting. But no one so much as opened a door to yell at him, "No…" He sounded horrified, "No, no! PLEASE! EVERYONE! PIRATES ARE GOING TO ATTACK TOMORROW! I SWEAR I'M TELLING THE TRUTH THIS TIME!"

Finally, a door opened and an older lady came out. He turned to warn her in excitement, except he never got the chance. A cast iron pan smacked into his face and squished his long nose flat, "Shut up you nuisance! Why can't you be an honest man like Klahadore! Leave us alone!" More and more of the angry villagers came out, wielding mops and brooms as weapons. "We'll teach you this time!"

The sobbing Usopp could only turn tail and run, fleeing from the furious people. He still held on to hope though, racing towards Kaya's mansion. He easily squeezed in through his usual entrance and hastily chucked a pebble at Kaya's window, "Kaya!" He whisper-screamed, getting the girl to open the windows with a bubbly, ecstatic smile on her face.

"Usopp! You came back!" She beamed, before noticing his exhausted, fidgety state, "Usopp, what's wrong?" She asked in worry.

"Kaya, you're in grave danger!" He got out hoarsely through his gasping, "I was down at the cliffs, when I saw Klahadore meeting with this strange guy! They were planning on killing you for your money!"

She gaped like a goldfish, mouth opening and closing, before tears started prickling in her eyes, "Usopp!" She admonished angrily, "I know what Klahadore said must have hurt, but that's no reason to try to defame his character! Leave now!"

"I'm not lying!" Usopp gasped, tears of his own in his eyes, "I swear it! I heard the other guy calling him Captain Kuro, who was a notorious pirate who got executed three years ago! It was around that time when Klahadore showed up!"

Her tears started spilling out, "I've always played along with your stories, but this is too much! I misjudged you!"

"Kaya!" He leapt up to the window with strength he didn't know he had, "Kaya, I know I've come up here to tell lies before, but they were just stories! I wouldn't lie about something like this! Not to you…" He whispered the last to himself, but she heard it anyway.

A shocked flush rose up in her cheeks, "Usopp…!"

He held out a hand, "Please! Come with me! We need to get out of here!"

She hesitantly raised a hand, before jerking it back, "No!" She shook her head, her tear droplets flying from her face, "Leave now! I can't believe you would do this! You're a horrible person!" She sobbed, her face scrunched up in pain.

Usopp growled, before reaching out and grabbing her arm, "You'll hate me, but at least you'll be safe!" He tried pulling her towards him, and she slapped him in her anguish. Even as he jerked back, a new person came into the situation.

BANG

Usopp let out a shocked gasp as blood flew from his shoulder. He fell back and toppled out the window! "USOPP!" A horrified Kaya screamed as Merry – another of her guards – appeared underneath her window holding a pistol that he was aiming at the downed boy, "No! Don't hurt him Merry!"

A defeated, sobbing Usopp could only turn and run, disappearing from the estate and leaving a sobbing, overwhelmed girl behind.

 **-]|[-**

"Usopp! What happened to you!" Nami gasped as Usopp showed up, clutching at his arm. She immediately set about trying to dress his wound, "Where's Luffy?" Luckily, the kids were no longer around. They had all ran off somewhere.

Usopp choked back a sob as she finished tying up a bandage, "Luffy….Luffy's dead! OW!" He yelped as Nami nearly crushed his arm as she reflexively clenched her fists.

Her eyes were shadowed, "What was that?" She asked dangerously. Zoro behind her was stone-faced.

Usopp wrenched his good arm out of her grasp, "I'm sorry…" He choked out, "We were near the cliffs! That bastard Klahadore showed up to meet with this weird guy in a purple jacket! He revealed that he was actually Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates and that his crew was going to attack the village tomorrow! When Luffy confronted him, the weird guy killed him!"

Nami's teeth ground in her mouth and tears prickled in her eyes. Before she could get another word in, Zoro spoke up with an unnerving stare at Usopp, "What happened exactly!"

Usopp's teeth chattered at the sheer feeling of death radiating from the green-haired man, "The purple guy pulled out a pendulum! He hypnotized Luffy asleep and he fell off the cliff right onto his head! There's no way he lived!"

Nami grabbed him by his collar, "Take us there! NOW!" The terrified Usopp could only nod and lead them away.

"Down there!" Usopp yelled as he raced away, "He fell righ-WHAT IS THAT GIANT HOLE?"

Zoro leapt past him right off the cliff side to the ground below. Nami followed with only a moment's hesitation. While doing so, she futilely attempted a **Geppo** without any knowledge of how to perform it, to no real success. She landed a little roughly and winced. She got on her hands and knees and peered down into the hole. It literally looked like someone had melted a vertical cave into the ground. Usopp had finally managed to climb down, when they heard it. "Zzzzzz…"

Both of the Straw Hats' faces were shadowed and dead looking as they listened to the sound. "HE'S ALIVE!?" Usopp shouted in utter disbelief, tongue long and waving in front of him.

Nami growled, "LUFFY!" She screamed. A small pop was heard, and then some mumbling, "GET UP HERE!"

They heard some scrambling, "WHAT AM I DOING IN A HOLE!" The sound blasted out of the hole, followed moments later by Luffy who landed next to them, "Eh? When did Nami and Zoro get here?"

Nami was wearing a slasher smile and it almost looked as if her eyes were blood red, "Luffy…" He turned to her, only to meet her fist once more, "YOU IDIOT!"

"OW!" His head bounced off the sand, "What was that for!" He yelled in irritation. She leaned down and grabbed him by nose, squeezing down, "By Bose!" He squeaked.

"You listen to me mister!" She said angrily, "I'm not going to let first pirate I've ever liked get himself killed because he was stupid! You let yourself get hypnotized and almost broke your fool neck when you fell off the cliff!" He stared at her wide eyed, "If you ever see someone doing something like that idiot hypnotist did, you look away or the next time I see you, I'll take away what makes you a man!"

Luffy squeaked in terror and crossed his arms in front of his crotch, "NOT MY KINTAMA!"

"GOT IT!" Nami roared, giving his conk one last squeeze.

"Yes mam." Luffy said meekly, "Angry Nami is scary…" He mumbled to himself. She smirked lightly, before collapsing next to him and snuggling up like usual, "I like happy Nami better."

She smirked broadly this time as he started massaging her shoulders. She didn't even blush this time, when Zoro gave her the _look_.

Usopp couldn't help himself. He raised a hand and asked meekly, "Are you guys sure she's not the real Captain?" He cringed away when Luffy gave him a scary look that far surpassed Nami's own, "Got it. You're the Captain." And Luffy was back to all smiles.

"Anyway." Zoro sat with the other two, pulling down Usopp so he would do the same, "What are we going to do about Kuro?"

"CAPTAIN!" The three kids had shown up, making Usopp's eyes bug out in panic, "We heard everything Captain! What are we going to do about the pirates?! We have to warn everyone!"

"Warn…" Usopp guffawed, and broke out into laughter, "Bwahaha! Did you guys really fall for that? It was all a lie!" He proclaimed, "I was just getting my revenge, making up stories like usual!"

The kids all looked incredibly disappointed, "That's not honorable Captain! We misjudged you!" They all turned away angrily and walked off without another word.

Usopp crumbled to the ground and simply stared down, "Because I lie a lot…no one believed me."

Zoro stared him down, "That's what you get when you lie all the time." Usopp flinched, "Even _I've_ read the _Boy Who Cried Wolf_. Still, pirates are going to attack tomorrow regardless of whether the town believes you." He smirked and looked him in the eyes, "So, what are you going to do, ' _Honorable Usopp?_ '"

He growled and stood up, "Even though I was shot...even though no one believed me…I will protect this village!" He probably would have looked more convincing if he wasn't shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, "In order to protect my village, this situation must become one of my lies! I can't let anyone get hurt!"

Zoro grinned, "So, you are a pretty good guy, huh?"

Luffy smirked and punched his fists together, "We'll just have to give you a hand then, won't we?"

"As long as you remember that all of their treasure is mine." Nami stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Wha…-" He blinked owlishly, "Why would you guys fight with me?"

"You're outnumbered." Luffy deadpanned before snickering at Zoro's words.

"You have the words ' _I'm scared_ ' all over your face." Zoro grinned, "But you're going to fight anyway."

"Idiots!" He screamed at them, "Scared? Why would I be scared! I have the blood of a courageous warrior running in me! I'm Captain Usopp! They can't compete with me!" It would have sounded pretty good, if his knees weren't chattering together. They all smirked as he punched his own legs, "Okay! So maybe I'm scared! It's Captain Kuro's men! He was known as a ruthless, notorious pirate! I don't need your sympathy!"

"We're not giving you any. We're commending your courage." Zoro said.

"You…you guys!" Usopp began tearing up, "I'm so touched…" He shook himself, "Anyway!" He led them to a big slope, "This slope is the only way into the village! They'll have to come here to get into the town! The rest is just cliffs, so as long as we guard this one place, everything should be fine!"

Luffy grinned and punched his fists together, "Easy!"

"Not as easy as you think." Usopp countered, "Anyway, what are you guys good at?"

"Cutting!" Zoro said.

"Vaporizing!" Luffy smirked while pulling his hat over his eyes.

"Stealing!" Nami chuckled.

Usopp grinned, and proclaimed his own strength, "Hiding!"

"YOU'RE FIGHTING TOO!" The three Strawhats all had shark teeth and white eyes as they screamed at the coward!

 **-]|[-**

"See? This is the best way to fight them!" The quartet had sprayed a massive amount of oil onto the slope. There was no way any of the pirates were going to be getting up it, especially not with Usopp ready to snipe any of them who came close.

Nami giggled, "Just don't fall down there yourself, or you're screwed!" Luffy chuckled beside her. He had his foot in the oil himself, and was sliding it around.

"It's dawn." Zoro said, drawing their attention as they looked out onto the horizon.

Suddenly, Nami stiffened. Her ears quirked, "Dawn?" She bit her lip, before turning to Usopp with an angry face, "Oh Usopp…" She sang, "Those Kuro Neko pirates are supposed to be attacking this bluff…right?" She asked sweetly.

Usopp blinked owlishly, "They met here, and this is the entrance. It has to be here, right?"

She screeched, "YOU IDIOT! YOU CAN'T ASSUME THINGS LIKE THAT! I CAN HEAR VOICES ON THE NORTH SIDE!"

"The north?" Usopp gasped and jumped to his feet, holding his head with his hands, "OH NO!" He screeched, his eyes popping out, "THERE'S ANOTHER PORT THAT HASN'T BEEN USED IN A DECADE OVER THERE!"

"You idiot!" Luffy yelled and shot off like a rocket, disappearing in a blur of speed to where he though north was.

It wasn't.

"Oh no!" Nami shrieked in horror, "Our boat is over there! MY TREASURE!" She gasped, "Crap!"

"Nami! What are you doing?" Zoro yelled in shock as the girl slipped and started sliding down the slope.

"Help!" She yelled, "I slipped!" She caught onto Zoro's shirt and started pulling him along!

"Let go you idiot!" He roared back at her!

But she had gotten a grip and was able to pull herself up. She jumped over him, even as Zoro slid all the way down, "SORRY ZORO!" She yelled back as she charged up the slope, "MY TREASURE IS IN DANGER!"

"YOU DAMN WITCH!" He roared at her retreating back, "I'll kill her." He growled out.

On the other side of the island, the roaring, cheering pirates were charging up the beachhead like a massive landing force. They reached the slope and started making their way up, when half a dozen of them were flung backwards at speed, "WHAT!" They all yelled in shock.

"There's someone at the top!" One of them roared angrily.

"I'm Captain Usopp!" Usopp yelled, "I've made preparations for you all! If you don't want to die, retreat at once!" He had his goggles over his eyes and was inwardly shivering, ' _Where the hell is Luffy? Didn't he run off ahead of me?_ '

Jango stepped up, "You…you're the one who overheard our plan. What do you want?"

"I want you all out of here!" Usopp proclaimed, "Retreat if you value your lives! If you don't my hundred million men will come and kill you all!"

"WHAT? A HUNDRED MILLION!" Jango screeched in fear, "RETREAT! WE CAN'T WIN!"

"He's lying Captain." A nameless pirate sweatdropped.

"AH! They saw through it!" Usopp panicked momentarily.

"Do you think we're two year olds?" Another commented in bemusement.

"You bastard. How dare you lie to me." Jango seethed.

"Good news Captain!" Another fat pirate waddled up, "That boat that was on the shore had a lot of treasure on board! There were at least ten million Beli there!"

"WHAT? Ten million!" Jango yelled happily.

"Ten million? Why would they have so much?" Usopp wondered, before doing what he did best, "All of that is my treasure! If you all leave, I'll give it to you!"

"Idiot." Jango chided, "We're pirates. We'll simply take the treasure anyway!" Usopp grit his teeth, "Now look at this ring. When I say, ' _One, two, Jango_ ,' you will let us pass. One, two, Jang-"

"DAMN YOU USOPP!" Nami roared angrily, smashing her staff harshly into the back of the liar's head, "How dare you try to give away my treasure!" She growled and pointed down at the pirates, "You put all of that back where you found it, or I'll kill you!"

"Ouch." Usopp cradled his dome with tears streaming down from his goggles, "You hit me!"

She turned her angry shark teeth to him, "You tried to give my treasure away! You're lucky I didn't break your nose!" She rested the staff on her shoulder and looked away smugly, "Besides. I just saved you. That idiot down there is a hypnotist. I thought you already knew that!" She sighed, "Where's Luffy? Wasn't he ahead of you?"

"He just vanished!" Usopp told her, "I couldn't even see him move!"

"That idiot." She mumbled, "How could he go and get himself lost."

"Anyway!" Usopp shook himself, "Go get them Nami! I'll cover you from up here!"

She growled, "I'm not THAT good. Why should I go alone?"

"Don't think that because I'm a man I'm any stronger than you! Look! I'm shaking in fear!"

The bewildered pirates watched as the two began bickering, "They forgot about us…"

She huffed and steeled herself. Over the three days they had taken to sail to this island, she had gotten a lot more practice with **Kami-e**. Hopefully it would be enough. "DESTROY THE VILLAGE!" The pirates roared eagerly, "CHARGE!" And with that battle cry, they shot forward with weapons raised in sheer excitement.

Usopp cringed back, but Nami had experience fighting mooks now. And there was no other description for these idiots except maybe 'cannon-fodder.' Usopp let out a shout of elation from behind her, "Oh, I have these Makibishi!" Nami grinned and grabbed a few and threw them with Usopp.

The horrific screeches of the pirates was like music to their ears. As soon as they hit the spiked field they slowed and panicked. They hopped around, first trying to avoid them and then in pain as the metal pierced their thin sandals and into their feet. Blood squirted from the wounds, even as a few unfortunate ones lost their balance and fell over onto more of them. "FUCK!" One of them roared right before being hit square in the face by a speeding projectile and being flung backwards off the hill.

"How'd you like my **Namari Boshi**!" Usopp crowed in victory at his defeat of the single pirate, "Here, have another one!" More lead stars flew from his slingshot and beaned a couple more pirates directly between the eyes.

"Wow, you're a good shot." Nami said in surprise as she turned to him with a smile. Said surprise almost ended badly.

"DIE!" One of the pirates who had a giant hammer roared from behind her with it raised high. He brought it screaming down towards her head angrily.

" **Kami-e**!" Nami squeaked as she danced around the massive hammerhead. A plume of smoke rose from the impact point and nearly blew her off her feet. She firmed herself and swung her staff as hard as she could, and was rewarded with a loud crack and a thud as the pirate crashed to the ground and did not move again.

She smirked and blew her bangs out of the way. She stepped forward into the next pirate's headlong charge and her staff snapped upwards. The tip caught the scumbag in the throat and almost knocked him out. She finished the job with a swing between his legs.

But her continued successes had made her a bit cocky and she admired her work for a moment. "OW!" She screamed in pain as she turned around and was forced to actually block a swipe of a pretty big sword with her staff. The impact knocked her off her feet and into the cliffside. Air left her lungs in a huff and she slumped down, biting her bottom lip and groaning in pain. At the same time, another of the pirates cracked Usopp over the head with a club, knocking him to the ground. Blood started leaking from the wound and began covering his face.

"Damn brats." One pirate seethed.

"Let's kill them slowly." Another grinned darkly, "I think I'll play with her first though." Nami's skin began to crawl as all color left her face.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Her salvation came in the unlikely form of Jango, "WE'RE ALREADY LATE YOU MORONS! JUST GO DESTROY THE VILLAGE! DID YOU FORGET CAPTAIN KURO'S PLAN!? WE CAN'T FUCK THIS UP OR ELSE HE'LL KILL US ALL!" Jango was almost spitting in panic, "DO YOU GET IT, YOU IDIOTS!"

The pirates all stiffened, before continuing their headlong charge up the slope, "TO THE VILLAGE!"

"Noooo!" Usopp moaned, grabbing one of their pant-legs and holding on for dear life. How he was even awake was a miracle, "You bastards! Don't attack the village!" He somehow found the strength to haul himself _up_ the pirate's clothes and grab onto his shirt.

"Get off!" The pirate roared and backhanded Usopp to the floor.

"Stop it! DON'T ATTACK THE VILLAGE! PLEASE! I BEG YOU!" Giant tears were streaming down Usopp's face.

Nami and Usopp gasped in shock as every single pirate that had made it up the slope was blasted back down, roaring in agony this time. Nami grinned in relief, wiping a bit of blood from her lip, "What took you guys so long?"

"What's going on, Captain Jango?" The moaning pirates struggled to their feet, "No one told us monsters like these were inside this village!"

"What took us so long?" A furious-looking Zoro was grinding his teeth together, "Maybe we would have been here sooner if you didn't PULL ME DOWN THE CLIFF!"

"Usopp you idiot!" Luffy was growling in anger, "You didn't even tell me which way was north!"

Nami scoffed, "I couldn't help it! Better one of us fall than both of us!"

"Then you should have fallen!" Zoro growled back

"It's your fault for taking off without asking!" Usopp yelled back at Luffy.

"Oi, oi! Don't tell me you idiots fell down after one blow!" Jango sneered at his crewmates, "We don't have time for this!" He yelled, slipping his pendulum out of his pocket, "Since our opponents are strong, we must be stronger! Look into my pendulum! When I say, '1, 2, Jango' your wounds will disappear and you will become stronger!" Luffy turned away, remembering the reaming Nami gave him after the last time he stared at that stupid ring. "1, 2, Jango!"

"That'll never work." Nami rolled her eyes. The pirates all sprang to their feet, roaring out in excitement, their eyes veined pits of white! "What the hell?" She gasped, "There's no way that actually worked! They were shaking a minute ago!"

One roaring pirate slammed his sword's pommel into the cliff-side, and it just completely shattered and crumbled, burying the idiot. "How did they gain that much strength! He crushed the wall!" Zoro looked pretty surprised.

Nami was pale, but she snickered, "Well, good to see they're still idiots at least." She accepted a hand up from Luffy and climbed to her feet. She scowled as she rubbed her sore shoulders, "I got cocky."

"Then learn from it, witch." Zoro said, shooting her a glare which was happily returned.

Luffy grinned and stepped forwards, "Alright you three, watch my legs as closely as you can." The pirates had enough of standing there and had begun charging straight up the hill towards the teens.

"Your legs?" Usopp asked in confusion, though he did as he was told regardless.

Luffy grinned widely, " **SORU**!" He vanished in a blur, before dozens of clones seemingly appeared in front of each pirate. Bones broke and blood and teeth flew from heavy kicks and devastating punches. Not a single one of the screaming mass of idiots was left standing. Several got blown back straight into the cliffs, causing plumes of grit to billow out as rocks crumbled and crushed them. One unlucky bastard struck the bottom of the cat-themed figurehead and went straight through it, destroying the ship's prow and then punching straight through the deck. He quickly flew past the horizon and out of sight. The now broken figurehead crashed to the sand.

Luffy reappeared exactly where he had been standing, with the few Black Cats left nearby crushed to the floor, their hypnosis dispelled, "Shishishi!"

Nami had her eyes closed with a chagrinned look on her face, "I didn't see a thing." If anything, that only made him laugh harder.

Zoro shook his head, "I could only catch a blur. No details. Sorry Luffy."

"I…I saw it!" Usopp declared.

"Liar!" All three of them chuckled at the sniper.

"No I'm serious! I didn't see anything after, but on that first move you kicked the ground dozens of times! I couldn't even count them!"

Luffy's eyes sprang open and he whirled around, "Holy crap! You weren't kidding?" He asked Usopp in astonishment.

Usopp grinned and crossed his arms, "Never underestimate Captain Usopp's eyes!" He said proudly. Zoro and Nami's faces were burning in embarrassment.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, "Good job Usopp! I want you as my sniper!" Usopp's face lit up, but Luffy didn't let him get another word in, "Usopp's right! **Soru** is about kicking the ground as many times as you can in the blink of an eye!"

"Is that so?" Zoro grinned, "That sounds a little too easy."

"Speak for yourself!" Usopp shouted as he pushed himself off the ground. He had given it a try, and had only succeeded in tripping over his own feet and squishing his nose when he landed in the dirt.

"Kicking the ground huh?" Nami mused, "Well, I can certainly see how that would give you explosive speed." She steeled herself, and managed six kicks in the time it took Usopp to blink. Her form blurred forward, though she didn't disappear, before falling to her knees and screaming, "FUCK!" She clutched her thigh in pain, "Holy crap, that's murder on your legs." She stood up, though she was noticeably shaky.

Zoro snorted as Luffy put an arm around her and helped her stay standing, "Then get stronger legs, witch!"

"Fuck you too, Zoro!" She screamed, her face looking demonic momentarily. She massaged the feeling back into her right leg, before giving a quick smile to Luffy and standing on her own.

"Hey Buchi!" A faint voice sounded from the destroyed ship, "Come look! Our ship's head is gone!"

"WHAT!? Wrecked!? How did that happen!?" Another voice screamed back.

Jango's face lit up as a bead of sweat dripped down his face, "Perfect." He grinned maliciously, "We still have _those_ two. I had forgotten. COME DOWN, NYANBAN BROTHERS!"

All four teenagers stared at the newcomers with their eyes twitching horrifically. One of the two was an overweight man with a golden bell attached to his throat. He had two pointy teeth spread apart, a black hat shaped like a cat's ears, and a fluffy cape with alternating purple hues. The other was a skinny man with curly green hair, a hunchback, and cat ears sticking out of his hair. Additionally, his shorts rode so high you could see practically all of his pale, stick-like thighs.

"…" Was the general reaction of the Strawhats and Usopp.

"Buchi, Sham!" Jango yelled, "We couldn't get past the slope because these guys are blocking the way! Now go destroy them!" He ordered happily. With this, they would definitely succeed.

The two seized up, heckles raised, "What?! Buchi how can we…we can't beat these guys!"

"Yeah!" Buchi stammered, "They look really strong!"

The defenders sweatdropped, looking at the cowards shying away from them. "We're just the ship's guards! We don't fight like this!" Sham had his hands raised apologetically.

Buchi raised his own hand, "Yeah, we don't want to participate in these kinds of battles!"

"SHAM! GO NOW!" Jango roared furiously.

"GAH!" Sham posed weirdly, "Why me!?" He sobbed, before timidly running forward. "Prepare to dieee!~ My claws are really sharp!"

Zoro had to hold back the urge to facepalm, "You sure you want to do that? I won't hold back if you don't run." Sham had gotten close to Zoro, who only had one of his swords out. A grin appeared on his face and a gleam shone in his eye. Zoro's eyes widened, "What!" He grunted as the formerly timid cat surged forward and tried to claw him. He ground his teeth, "Bastard!"

Sham grinned, "What, you thought I was just a coward? Of course…you wouldn't have left your guard down if I hadn't faked it."

"Zoro, your Katana!" Nami screamed at the green-haired man. Zoro growled as he patted himself down and noticed both of his other two swords gone.

Sham was smirking in victory, "Oh, are you missing something? I'm afraid I don't know where they went!" Zoro wasn't glaring daggers at him, but at _Wado Ichimonji_ which was on the bastard's back. His precious Katana had been soiled by this clown's touch! "You may have a few skills, but you underestimated Sham of the Nyanban Brothers!"

Zoro growled angrily, "My katana." He said dangerously, "I'll give you once chance to give them back."

Sham cackled, "Give them back? Why? I'm practically doing you a favor!" He grinned, his arms turned upward in a careless shrug, "You've already got that one ya know. These other two will just get in the way," He grabbed the two while licking his lips, "So before our battle starts," He tossed both katana carelessly down the slope, "I'll just get rid of these!"

Zoro's face looked like it was cut from marble. He blurred and vanished, and a massive slice appeared in Sham's midsection. "DON'T DISRESPECT ANOTHER'S KATANA!" He roared as he passed him. He ran forward, tunnel-visioning on _Wado_ specifically. "How could he treat my-grk!" He gasped as he tripped, falling forward as claws appeared on his sword-hand and a weight slammed into his back.

"You thought you cut me!" Sham crowed with a vicious grin, "Too bad I'm really thin!" The rest of his shirt had been ripped off from where Zoro had cut him, and it revealed that his waist was actually thin to the point that it would have looked sickly if he didn't actually have some muscle. It still looked _really_ strange. Zoro had completely missed, since his seemingly-normal-sized shirt was practically a drape on Sham's body, "Your turn, Buchi!"

The fat man grinned and flexed his own claws, "You've got it, Sham!" He ran forward and jumped, " **Cat the Funjyatta**!" Just as his dropkick/stomp was nearing Zoro's head, Nami appeared in front of him. She had a look of pain on her face from her attempted **Soru,** but she soldiered through it. Her staff caught Buchi right in the eye, sending the man howling to the floor in agony. "MY EYE!" He roared, blood leaking from between his fingers as he rolled on the floor.

"Buchi!" Sham screamed in shock as his brother was gravely injured right in front of him. Even if that hadn't distracted him, Zoro would have been able to throw him off. He was just too strong for Sham to keep a grip, even in the kind of position he had him in. As it was, Zoro not only reversed the hold but slammed Sham into the ground so hard the rock cratered. He raised his Katana again, an enraged look in his eyes. Sham tried to move, and managed to minimize the damage. Even still, a large gash opened up on his front and he howled in pain.

Nami crashed to the ground and tumbled a few times. She definitely wasn't used to moving at even remotely those kinds of speeds, nor was she used to fighting in the air. She let out a pained grimace as she clutched her left thigh, but her right hand was firmly grasped around _Wado_. Jango raced to her, his pendulum – which was actually a _chakram_ – ready to slice into her. Luffy's sandal annihilating his glasses and most of his face quickly disabused him of that notion. Jango sailed backwards and crashed into his ship, punching another hole straight into it.

"Thanks Luffy!" Nami panted and moaned in pain, but she had a pleased look on her face as she threw Zoro both of his swords.

"HEY! DON'T THROW MY TREASURES!" Zoro yelled at her.

"Yeesh, touchy!" Nami stuck her tongue out at him, "Where's my thanks?"

Zoro grinned as he put his Katana back into their proper places, "Yeah, thanks."

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" An enraged voice sounded from the cliffs. Kuro had arrived – face still bandaged from Usopp's punch – and he was almost literally steaming in rage. "It's been more than an hour since dawn! Are you telling me you couldn't handle a bunch of kids!? Jango!" Kuro screamed. Jango didn't respond. His legs were dangling from the hole in the ship he lay in and he was out cold. Kuro must have come to that realization, because his face got even darker, "It appears that the Black Cat pirates have only gotten weaker in my absence. You useless peons!" He glasses flashed as he adjusted them once more.

"Weak?!" Sham hissed in agony, "These guys are really strong! The only weak one here is you! You've been pampering yourself here in peace while we've been fighting! You've lost your touch!"

Usopp looked on in shock, "Internal conflict!"

Buchi was still clutching his bleeding eye, "Don't look down on us, Captain Kuro!"

Kuro scoffed, "You've failed! And you all know what I do to people who fail me!" Kuro adjusted his glasses, "Weak? How about I kill you for failing me to prove you wrong!"

"You've been inactive for three years! Don't think you can beat the Nyanban brothers!" They both charged, "YOU'RE NO LONGER OUR CAPTAIN! INSTEAD OF BEING KILLED BY YOU, WE MAY AS WELL KILL YOU FIRST!" They slashed at Kuro, only for his empty bag to be diced into confetti.

"Who did you say you were going to kill?" Kuro's voice sounded from behind them.

"Behind!" Sham yelled, only to be cut down with his brother. Blood spurted from both of their backs as Kuro gouged them from behind. He was wearing a set of gloves with long blades attached to his fingers. With Jango out cold and maybe even dead from the look of him, Kuro's plan had failed for the first time and he was utterly furious. He couldn't leave a single person on this entire island alive if he wanted to keep his anonymity.

Up on the cliffs, Kaya had burst from the trees just in time to see someone she had thought she knew kill two people in cold blood with her own eyes. Her eyes watered as she fell to her knees and choked back a sob.

Usopp and Nami's eyes widened in shock, while Luffy and Zoro looked on in anger. "Hey…" Luffy said, catching Kuro's attention. He walked forward, his eyes shadowed by his straw hat, "What do you think you're doing?"

Kuro looked at him like he was a bug, "What am I doing? I thought that was quite clear."

Luffy continued walking, "Aren't they your crew? Your nakama?" Zoro and Nami felt a chill go down their spines. This quite clearly would not end well for Kuro.

"Nakama?" Kuro scoffed, "Please, they're pawns at best. They should know better than to fail me." He pushed his glasses back into place, and with those ridiculous 'cat claws' on his fingers, it immediately became obvious why he used his palm to adjust them. Even Kaya knew enough to realize that, and she knew practically nothing about fighting.

"KLAHADORE!" Kaya found her courage and rose back to her feet. She needed to end this now, "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

"Ah?" Kuro looked at her, "Kaya-ojousama. You shouldn't be out of bed."

Kaya's face was scrunched up in sadness, and she glared at Kuro through her tears, "Merry told me everything!"

"I see." Kuro adjusted his glasses. With that information, there really was no need for him to pretend any longer, "Strange, I could have sworn I killed him."

The words were like a punch to Kaya's gut, even though she was expecting them, "I'm so sorry Usopp." She sobbed, "You tried to warn me…"

"Never mind that Kaya!" Usopp screamed at her, "Why are you here?! Didn't I tell you to run!"

"How can I run when you're here risking your life for us!" Her head dipped, "For me…We treated you so badly!" She bit her lip in anguish, before turning to Kuro, "Klahadore! You want my money right? I'll let you have all of it! Just take it and go! Never come back!"

"Oh, but that was never possible, Kaya-ojousama." Kuro adjusted his glasses.

"What?" Kaya gasped, her eyes going wide.

"It was not only your money I sought, but the tranquility of my soul." His eyes were hidden by the glinting of his glasses, "What I sought was peace as well as riches." He smirked, "I've spent the past three years ingratiating myself to this village. With your death and with my name on your will, I stood to inherit it all, and I wouldn't have any of those Justice idiots chasing me. They all think I'm dead, after all." He smirked as the flow of her tears increased and she clapped a hand to her mouth,

"Run Kaya!" Usopp hauled himself to his feet, only to be shocked at her next action.

She pulled a pistol from her pocket and aimed it straight at Kuro, "Leave this village!"

Kuro's eyes glinted, "Oh, it appears you've grown stronger if you're pointing that at me." He smirked and adjusted his glasses, "A lot has happened in the past three years. I wonder if you still remember all the boat rides and shopping trips we've had together. Every time your illness showed itself, I took care of you." Her eyes looked even glassier than they had when she was sobbing, "Three years…that I've suffered taking care of a naïve little girl like you! Me! A former pirate captain, pretending to be kind for a waif like you to like me!" Throughout his rant, Kaya regained the strength in her gaze, and she did something she never thought she would ever do.

Kaya pulled the trigger.

BANG!

Kuro had a comical look of shock on his face as he started falling, before disappearing. He appeared again in front of her, a small trail of blood leaking from his cheek where the bullet had grazed him. He had a look of utter rage on his face as he raised his claws high. "How dare you! I'll make sure you suffer before you die for that!" Kaya backed away in panic as his hand swung downward.

"KAYA!" Usopp howled, his slingshot stretching to the maximum before flinging a lead ball straight at Kuro's face. The man was forced to abort his attack on Kaya to dodge the excellently aimed shot. It would have caught him in the throat if he hadn't. "Leave her alone!"

"Usopp-kun." Kuro said dangerously as he appeared in front of Usopp, one hand pointed at the teen ready to skewer him, "I still owe you for that punch. That hurt you know."

" **Then you're going to hate me.** " Luffy had taken just about all he was willing to take. Kuro's face exploded in agony as Luffy's fist burrowed itself into his injured cheek. Kuro shot backwards like a cannonball. He flew through the air before impacting the ground harshly. Cracks appeared in the rocks as his body impacted, and then he started gouging a trail through the sand as he tumbled and rolled. He finally slid to a stop and, with shaking arms, struggled to raise himself up. Twice he fell, so punch drunk that he may as well have gone through an entire bar's worth of alcohol. His vision was swimming, but he was able to make out one detail amidst the spinning and the quad-vision he was experiencing. Luffy was stalking towards, shoulders set and fists clenched tight.

Luffy's face was once again shadowed by his hat, "Killing your own crew…playing with her feelings…running from the sea…you're just the kind of pirate that I hate!" Luffy roared.

Kuro finally stabilized before he spat up some blood, "You…why are you fighting? You're a stranger here! Why are you getting involved!?"

Luffy smirked, "I just can't help it ya know. When I see an ass…well I just have to kick it." Kuro growled, even as Luffy lost the smirk and grew serious. "I have a friend here, and I'm not letting him die."

Kuro guffawed, "That's it? You have a friend. What an asinine reason. You're a fool! You're going to die here because you have a _friend_." Some of the Black Cats had woken up from their impromptu naps by now and they began cheering their Captain on, certain that he was unbeatable. But that only pissed Kuro off, "DON'T CALL ME THAT NAME!" He roared at them, finally losing his patience entirely, "You all still don't understand do you? The purpose of today was to destroy the name of Kuro forever! I'm sick and tired of making plans for you reckless morons!"

He adjusted his glasses – cracked as they were at this point, "As my name became more and more notorious, the Marines and the bounty hunters kept coming after me! It was really becoming a nuisance! That was why I decided to 'kill' myself! That's why I let that idiot Marine Morgan believe he had captured me!" That almost made the three Strawhats laugh. Of course Morgan would turn out to be a fraud, "What happened that night was essential to my plans! For me to acquire peace and wealth! Do you get it now, kid? I've spent three years of my life on this! I can't fail!" Kuro vanished as Luffy stood there, arms crossed and head dipped.

Kuro appeared in front of him, claws raised. Luffy didn't even twitch. Kuro sliced straight into Luffy, and still there was no reaction from the teen. Kuro sprang back looking at his claws in shock. Or rather, what was left of his claws. They looked like they had been cut through, though a second glance showed signs of _melting._ The tips of the blades which hadn't passed through Luffy's body clattered to the floor. "Plans?" Luffy spoke, raising his head and seemingly glaring straight into Kuro's soul, "My dreams are way bigger than your stupid plans!" He vanished and burrowed his heel into Kuro's nose, completely shattering the man's glasses once and for all.

"Gah!" Kuro fell down and rolled, springing back to his feet. But he was incredibly unnerved by the fact that his left claws were just _gone._ He just didn't understand what could have happened.

His crew tried cheering him on once more, "Captain Kuro! You still have one hand of your cat claws left! You can do it!"

"Hey, don't call him that! Isn't his name in the village Klahadudu or something?"

"Then we'll call him Klaha-san! GO KLAHA-SAN! KILL HIM!"

"Shut up." Kuro said quietly, his beady eyes staring straight at Luffy. His crew went quiet, "After this is done, every single one of you will die!" The eyes of everyone in the clearing widened in shock, "Anyone who knows about me is a risk! I never intended to let you live from the beginning!" He said cruelly. His hair was out of its perfect coif and blood was leaking from his forehead. He looked the picture of a faux-classy villain about to have a breakdown.

Luffy started to chuckle and seemingly relaxed, "You pirates sure are a bunch of losers."

"Losers?" Kuro chortled, "Pirates are just a ragtag group of outcasts. They would never get anywhere without my plans."

Luffy snorted, "You're never going to get anywhere even with your plans, so you're not much better off than they are."

That seemed to piss Kuro right off, "A little idiot brat like you would never understand!" He yelled furiously, "In a pirate fleet, the crew members are just pawns for the captain to use as he pleases! No matter what wall is in front of them, they have to follow my orders! If that means sacrificing themselves or dying, then that's how it will be! That's the way of pirates!"

Luffy chuckled. It _appeared_ as if his anger had left him. He looked amused even, "A useless captain like you couldn't even beat Usopp." He laughed harder at the indignant look of fury on Kuro's face.

Kuro burst into laughter, "That kid, a better pirate than me? Are you right in the head?" His amusement trailed off as Luffy only laughed harder. A vein popped up on his forehead, and the blood flow from the cut on his forehead increased. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?" He roared, "That brat better than me?! Don't get cocky just because you broke my claws you little idiot! In what way am I inferior to him!?" He vanished and appeared behind Luffy, his remaining claw ready to dice him.

Luffy whirled around with that huge grin on his face and backhanded Kuro a dozen meters back, "It's the way you think." Luffy sniggered, "You have no idea what a real pirate is." He walked forward lazily, "And you're a coward too. I hate people like you." His gaze was still sharp as Kuro struggled to his feet, despite his seeming amusement.

The Black Cats were staring with dropped jaws, "No way! He saw through the **Nuki Ashi**!"

"A coward?" Kuro hissed dangerously, "I'LL SHOW YOU A COWARD!" He was hunched over, his blades splayed out as he started swaying back and worth, "I'll show you what a real pirate is!" he hissed, "One who's been on the brink of death and survived!"

The rest of the Black Cats seized up and drew back in terror, "NO CAPTAIN! WE'RE IN YOUR RANGE! DON'T DO IT!"

" **SHAKUSHI**!" Kuro roared before vanishing once again.

Nami – who was now on the broken deck of the Black Cat's pirate ship holding a light bag of treasure – stared as two of the enemy pirates split open in four different locations as Kuro passed by them. She had been using her excellent hearing to keep an 'eye' on the battle, even as she collected the meagre treasures of the enemies. Now, she watched and strained her eyes, trying to see Kuro.

And much to her rather morbid pleasure, she succeeded. Kuro was nowhere near as fast as Luffy was, and she could see a black blur attacking everything that it came close to. "The idiot can't see anything." She snickered in dark amusement as she came to that realization.

Zoro was having an even easier time than Nami was. The blur he saw was much more defined, and he could even see the blades. He drew his swords with a roar of, " **Tora Gari**!" Blood flashed through the air as Kuro dropped to the ground and howled in agony. Two deep slices had appeared on his chest and were gushing blood. He turned his fall into a roll and vanished once more. Another of his crew members was sliced open and his blood landed on Luffy's cheek.

Luffy's face was as thunderous as the blackest clouds, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOUR CREW IS!" He vanished and the next thing anyone else saw was his fist absolutely warping Kuro's face as if it was made of rubber. Luffy followed through with the hit and slammed Kuro into the ground head first. He lifted his fist from Kuro's face and drew back once more, before unloading another devastating punch. The rock they were standing on cratered once, twice, before exploding upward in a plume of dirt.

The enemy pirates watched anxiously as the dirt fell, and waiting for the plume of smoke to dissipate. When it did, a furious-looking Luffy stood there over a defeated Kuro. "NO WAY! HE BEAT THE CAPTAIN!" The Black Cats cried half in elation and half in terror, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

Luffy snorted as he walked back towards his crew, Usopp, and Kaya, "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and there's no way I'd lose to a coward who gave up his name and ran from the sea." He turned to face them, his Devil Fruit making his eyes burn golden, "The only time a pirate should ever give up his name is when he dies!" He put his hat back on his head and that massive grin split his face, "You better remember that name! I'm the one who is going to become the Pirate King!" The jaws of every enemy pirate there – and Usopp and Kaya – dropped to the floor.

Nami came over with a smile and hugged his side. His arm wrapped around her waist, "Nice job Luffy."

"Shishishi." He laughed cheerfully, before freezing, and going blank-faced. Slowly, a wide grin split his face, "Hey Nami…"

"Hmm?" She backed up and looked at him curiously, "What is it?"

"None of us have a bounty yet, right?" His grin was infectious as the light bulb pinged in Nami's mind. All three Strawhats turned and looked at Kuro's body with vicious smirks on their faces.

 **-]|[-**

During the battle, the three little kids had shown up, armed and ready to 'fight.' Instead, they watched in awe as Luffy effortlessly dispatched Kuro, "Wow…so that's a real pirate?" Their eyes were sparkling.

Usopp – who was sitting by them with Kaya – began to sputter indignantly, " _Real_ pirate? Are you making fun of me?" His eyes were bulging out and he had shark teeth. Kaya giggled. Usopp settled down and looked at the sky, before chuckling. The blood on his face had dried by now, but he still looked a little scary to the innocent in the vicinity, "Anyway, would you guys mind keeping this a secret?"

"WHAT?" The three kids exploded, "BUT CAPTAIN…!"

"But Usopp…" Kaya looked shocked, and she reached for his arm, "We have to fix this misunderstanding! Merry shot you and the villagers beat you up! You could be this town's hero!"

Usopp shook his head with a sardonic grin, "Nah, I'm the same liar that I've always been." He fell back and stared at the clouds, "There's no way pirates would be interested in a quiet little town like this. We don't need to frighten any of them." He sat back up, "It was just another lie…" He grinned sheepishly, "I won't force it on you guys of course, but…"

"NO!" Tamanegi yelled, "If that's what's best for the village, then that's wat's best for the village!"

"Yeah!" Ninjin yelled too, clutching his little fists together.

"We won't tell a soul!" Piiman confirmed.

"Usopp…" Kaya looked at him for a moment, before smiling in resigned defeat, "Okay, I won't say anything either." She got up, "Luffy, Zoro, Nami!" She called, wiping a little bit of sweat from her brow, "You all are welcome to stay at the mansion for a little while!" The three pirates looked surprised, so she put on her best sly grin, "After all, we still have business to discuss, don't we?" The three Strawhats grinned in elation. Luffy made sure to grab Kuro and sling him over his shoulder after Nami had hogtied him so thoroughly that the madman wouldn't be able to twitch so much as a pinky.

If he woke up that is.

The rest of the Black Cats grabbed a lifeboat and fled after a glare from Luffy and Zoro, leaving the defeated leaders of their crew behind.

 **-]|[-**

Usopp groaned as he woke up, feeling something on his face. He sat up and cracked his back, before turning and staring at his visitor in surprise, "Kaya! What are you doing here?" He paused, before stuttering, "N-not that I don't like seeing you. A-a-and it is your house." He started blubbering, and the girl in question giggled behind her hand.

"Oh Usopp…" She smiled brilliantly at him, "How are you feeling? That cut looked really bad."

Usopp puffed out his chest with a smirk full of bravado, "Oh that was nothing! A small wound like that could never take down the mighty Captain Usopp."

She giggled again, before staring at him with a sad smile, "You're leaving with them aren't you?"

Usopp's smile dropped and he stared at her in shock. For a moment at least. He looked down with a sad smile of his own, "You here to try to stop me?"

Her hand came to rest on his own, and unknown to him, she was blushing as brightly as she was, "No." She said, "I even considered joining you." His face snapped up in shock, and her finger rested on his lips, silencing him, "Considered…and I'm sure Luffy wouldn't really mind." She sighed sadly, "But even though I shot…Kla…Kla… _Kuro…_ I still don't like violence."

"Violence?" Usopp blinked, reluctantly somewhat relieved, "I thought that you would have been more worried about your health."

Tears began streaming from her eyes, "It's been a few days…" She whispered, "We were going through _Kuro's_ things…" She started to sob outright. With bravery he didn't know he had, Usopp scooped her into his arms and held her tightly. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he felt his shirt become wet with her tears. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before she raised her head again, "We found that…the spices he gave the cooks… On their own, they were harmless…even tasty…but when he mixed them with a seasoning…they turned into a weak poison." Usopp's heart was in his throat and the blood was pounding in his ear. He almost got up, furious enough to go rip Kuro apart with his bare hands, but she held him down, likely knowing what he was thinking. And Usopp would never harm her, even in a rage like this, "It was weak…all it really did was weaken our immune systems." She said, "It didn't outright harm us at all, but it left us feeling weak and depressed. Even before he showed up, I got sick often…no one suspected a thing." She sighed, her tears dried out. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry today…that she had cried herself out…but the thought of her parents dying to their illnesses…

It was really too much, "That bastard." Usopp growled hoarsely, "I'll kill him!"

She shook her head, "He's not worth dirtying your hands, Usopp. Promise me you'll leave it to the Marines… He'll see justice for what he did."

Usopp wanted to lie…he really did…but he couldn't, "Okay."

Her head dropped into his neck and she snuggled into him, "Even though I want to go with you…even though I want to sail again…to be with friends… I would probably just drag you all down." A single tear fell from her eyes and landed on Usopp's hand.

"Kaya…I'll miss you…so much!" Usopp croaked.

"I will too…" She pulled back, a very much…not-Kaya smile on her face, "So I'll just have to make sure you never forget me…and that you know you can always come back…" Her head descended and Usopp's eyes went wide in shock.

Her lips felt heavenly, Usopp decided, feeling almost as if he was drunk with elation. He kissed the beautiful blonde back, and let himself fall back on the bed, dragging Kaya with him.

 **-]|[-**

"It's a caravel!" Nami clapped her hands happily. Luffy had this silly look of excitement on his face with his mouth wide open, while even Zoro was standing there and smirking appreciatively. Kaya stood next to them, her hands clasped in front of her with a happy smile on her face.

Luffy grinned at Zoro, "Told you we'd get a huge ship!" Zoro snorted in response.

Merry stood there in front of the ship. He was a vaguely goat-like man with a bandage covering his forehead, "I've been waiting for you all!" He said with a smile, "Thank you for all of your help." He gave them a quick bow before straightening, "She's a bit of an older style, but she still sails like a dream. I designed her myself." He said cheerfully, "She's called _The Going Merry._ The controls are in the back."

"Can we really have this?" Luffy was looking at it in awe.

"Of course." Kaya giggled, "I insist, actually."

Merry had walked up to Luffy, "So you're the one who beat those Black Cats…I thought you'd be bigger." He chuckled at Luffy's utter indifference to anything but the ship for the moment, "Anyway, I will explain the steering system. First of all, in order to adjust the yards in relation to the crew garnet…"

Luffy was paying literally no attention whatsoever. Nami sweatdropped, "You better tell me instead, Merry. I'm the crew's navigator." She giggled at Luffy's childlike excitement as he jumped up to the ship's deck and sat on the sheepshead figurehead.

Kaya yelled up at him, "I had it fully loaded! It's the least we could do for all your help." She accepted a hug from the hyperactive Captain with a giggle after he jumped back down.

"AHHHHHHH!" They all twitched and looked up at the hill, where Usopp was hauling a _massive_ backpack. He probably fit his house in that thing. Well, it would be more accurate to say the bag was hauling _him,_ "SOMEONE STOP ME!" He yelled hysterically as he rolled down the hill, getting burrowed into the dirt every time the bag rolled over him.

"Usopp!" Kaya squeaked in shock.

"Hey, what's he doing?" Luffy asked in befuddlement.

Zoro scratched his ear, "Well, whatever it is, we should probably stop him before he hits the ship." He got shoulder-to-shoulder with Luffy and they both stuck their feet out. Usopp rolled into their feet, face first. Only his nose escaped punishment, sticking out between the two shoes.

"Th…thanks." Usopp croaked, before taking off his bag and getting back to his feet. He brushed himself off, before looking at Kaya with a wide smile, "I'm leaving Kaya…" He said somewhat quietly.

She closed her eyes and smiled, "I know." She opened them and beamed at him, "You'll just have to make sure to have plenty of stories for me when you return!"

They stared at each other, trying not to tear up. "Ehh…fuck it." Usopp mumbled, before jumping forward and scooping Kaya into his arms for one last kiss, which she happily returned. Everyone else stared at the scene with dropped jaws.

"U-Usopp! You cad! Unhand the ojousama!" Merry squeaked.

"G-'way Mrry." Kaya pulled back just long enough to mumble, before returning to their kiss.

Zoro and Luffy snickered, "Didn't think he had it in him." The green-haired man mumbled.

Nami grabbed both of their ears and directed them to the _Going Merry_ , "Come on you two, leave the lovebirds alone." Her own face was a little red.

Usopp finally pulled back, and they shared one last bittersweet smile, "Get going, Honorable Usopp." Kaya smiled bravely, trying to hold back tears.

Usopp's own face mirrored hers, "I'll make sure to bring back a bunch of stories for next time…" He turned away resolutely and marched away. He waved up at the three Strawhats as he started packing his things into his own little dinghy, "Well, have a safe voyage guys! I'm sure we'll meet again someday!"

"What are you talking about?" Luffy frowned at Usopp.

"Sheesh, how cold! We're both going to be pirates aren't we? We might meet again on the high seas!"

Zoro rolled his eyes, "Just get on already, you idiot."

"Huh?" Usopp stood there, wide-eyed.

"I told you I wanted you as my sniper, didn't I?" Luffy snickered as he stared down at the stunned Usopp, "You're already a Nakama!"

Usopp stood there is shock, before breaking out into a wide grin, "I…I'M THE CAPTAIN!" Usopp cried as he leapt forward, almost forgetting his huge bag.

"IDIOT! I'M THE CAPTAIN!"

On the _Going Merry_ , the three companions clinked their glasses together, commemorating both their new ship and their newest crewmember.

As the ship sailed away, Kaya looked on, both in happiness and in sadness. She had found friends of her own, and was forced to give them up. It was such a bittersweet moment… But she would never regret it for a moment, she knew, "It…it hurts to lie." She whispered, but Merry heard her all the same.

Had they not kissed, he would have though she was referring to Klahadore. But after that scene, he knew better, "You didn't want him to leave, did you?"

Her head dipped, "Either that…or I wanted to sail with him."

Merry sighed, "I heard a story about Usopp from the villagers…" Her head turned to him in expectation, "He first started to lie when his mother became sick… He lost his mother right after his father left the village." He had a gentle smile of reminiscence on his face, "' _The pirates are coming!_ ' He told her, ' _Dad's coming to take us to sea as soon as you get better mom!_ '" A single tear had to be wiped away from her eye, "She just laughed, even in the pain she was in. Told him that she knew he wasn't coming…that she was still proud of having married him…that she wished she could see Usopp when he became as brave as his father… Lie after lie, he told her, hoping that she wouldn't leave him as well…and later he continued to lie, hoping against hope that one day, it would come true…that he would see his father's ship on the horizon!" He turned to her, "He could never leave you alone after you lost your parents…for he had experienced the same loss."

Kaya wiped her tears away and smiled at the horizon, "I'll have to get stronger…so that one day when he comes back, I'll be able to leave with him." She got up with bravado all over her face, "I've decided Merry!" The wind blew and her hair floated gently in the breeze, "The next time I see Usopp…I'll be a doctor!" She turned and walked away from the dock, going back to her home.

He chuckled and followed, "An excellent choice, ojousama."

Up on the cliffs, three children watched as their best friend sailed away with tears dripping from their eyes. Watching him leave hurt, and they knew they would need something to remember him by. They steeled themselves, and set off running back towards the village, "PIRATES ARE COMING! PIRATES ARE COMING!"

 **-]|[-**

Night had now fallen, and Nami was laying down in her new bed. She should have been happy…relaxed. She should have been luxuriating in something this comfy…in the fact that she now had a shower and bath whenever she wanted. She should have been happy.

But she wasn't. The lingering soreness in her back and in her legs reminded her of her defeat by scumbags who she had no business losing to. And her blood was pounding in her ears as she heard the laugh, ' _Shahahaha!_ '

She clenched her fists and bit her lip as she began to tremble in rage, ' _SHAHAHAHAHAHA!_ ' She had a great crew, and she had wonderful friends. She wanted to sail with them forever, and she would never be able to do that if she remained weak! If she remained under Arlong's thumb! He had promised to set her village free if she gave him 100,000,000 Beli, but she knew it was a lie.

She had always known it was a lie.

She had only been deluding herself because she had no hope. Arlong didn't have a ship anymore. He had used his ship to build Arlong Park. It was his base…his command post. There was no way he would ever abandon it. ' ** _SHAHAHAHAHAHA!_** '

She never had hope before. Not until she met Luffy. And now it was here and it wasn't going away. Luffy hadn't even used his Devil Fruit against _Kuro of a Thousand Plans_ , a man worth only eight million Beli less than Arlong himself. Hell, he hadn't even _tried_ in the fight. Hope was a foreign emotion, but it was one that filled her being to the brim now. The pounding in her ears was gone, replaced by a tranquil determination. She surged up, basking in the feeling.

She didn't even need to get dressed, having still been wearing her clothes from the earlier party. She grabbed her staff and marched out of her room and up towards the deck. She almost slammed the door open, but held back. She grabbed a long pipe that was secured to the wall right before the door and then walked out onto the deck.

There he was, sitting without a care in the world on the ship's figurehead, "Luffy!" She called up at him.

Luffy's ears quirked as he spun on the figurehead and then leapt down to join her on the deck, "Nami? I thought you went to bed already." His eyes widened and his hand jerked forward to catch his pipe, "Nami?" He asked in confusion.

"We're going to train!" Nami said, determination pouring from her, "And don't you dare hold back!" She declared as she took her combat stance.

Slowly, a grin rose up on his face. He raised his pipe and vanished.

 **CLACK!**

 **-]|[-**

 **And there you have it! Boy did a lot happen in this one!**

 **Kuro gets beaten like the bitch that he is!**

 **Usopp gets some fucking nookie!**

 **Luffy starts teaching his crew more things, and Nami's decided to take her tragedy into her own hands!**

 _ **One of these things is not like the others~**_

 **So, this was what I eventually decided on for Kaya. It wasn't what held the chapter up for so long, but it was still something that I went back and forth on during the delay from the last chapter to this one. In the end, I decided not to include her in the crew. Maybe for another story. This one is the more 'serious' one after all.**

 **Now, I'm probably going to get at least some comments on how Nami was able to use a very rudimentary Soru so soon. Why did I decide to make it** _ **that**_ **easy? It's simple, I believe it really IS that easy. It's believed that Soru is the easiest, most rudimentary technique in the Rokushiki line-up of moves. Basically everyone and their grandmother has Soru or some knockoff/copy these days. Kuro himself had a very shitty version of it himself. Coby was able to get it working fairly well after only a few months, and that was after he lost all his chub, which** _ **probably**_ **didn't happen overnight. Nami and Zoro especially are already very fit, and as you saw with Nami, it still fucking** _ **hurt**_ **to perform. It'll still be a while before she** _ **masters**_ **it, though she'll definitely have it p and running quickly.**


	4. A Test of Strength

**Hey, hey, hey! How is everyone today?**

 **So, last chapter I fucked up. For some strange reason, I said Kuro's bounty was 12 million; "** _ **only eight million Beli less than Arlong himself.**_ **" That was a mistake. I don't know why, but that was what I had in my headcanon. And for once, I didn't actually fact check like I usually do. His bounty is 16 million.**

 **This is also something I forgot to do last chapter, so you guys are getting the rant here. There are very few things (story related things, not things like grammar or spelling) which can get me to outright abandon a** ** _One Piece_** **story. Kuro joining the crew is one of them! That kind of things falls very firmly into outright character assassination for me. You either have to ruin Kuro as a villain (piss poor one that he was in the first place) by having him apologize or all of a sudden warp into a half-decent guy OR you have to ruin LUFFY as a Captain by having him do it.**

 **Luffy would NEVER accept that toe rag on his crew. His crewmates would NEVER accept him inviting Kuro. He's exactly the kind of pirate Nami hates, Usopp would probably tear his guts out before he would shake his hand, and most importantly, he's the kind of pirate LUFFY HIMSELF hates. The kind who runs away from the sea! The kind who betrays his nakama! It's just that kind of instant turn-off button. I don't care how good the story was leading up to it. People do decently well at keeping Luffy in character and then they go and do stupid shit like that! Well** ** _fuck_** **that. You guys can rest assured that Kuro will never be a crew member in any story I write.**

 **-]|[-**

 **You guys seem to have liked a couple of the challenges I presented, as well as the latter of the two pilots I have in Mysteries. I kinda sorta started extending the second pilot, though not by much yet.**

 **Challenge:**

 **Just a random stupid idea I had: It's a partial crossover, where every Mythical Zoan Fruit is a Pokemon. Pick any one you want, bar Arceus.**

 **-]|[-**

 **In other news, I'm afraid I'm putting my Naruto story on hiatus. Naruto just…doesn't hold my interest like it used to. At all. It wasn't like Harry Potter, where even after it ended I still went into the section a lot. Nowadays I only look for crossover fics for Naruto. Even The Great Sage was only supposed to be the backstory for future crossovers. So for now at least, you can consider it on hold.**

 **-]|[-**

 **Chapter IV: A Test of Strength**

 **-]|[-**

Nami and Zoro were feeling rather relieved, if they were honest. Since they had met Monkey D Luffy, he had captivated them with his strength…his ideals… He was a fair teacher, if what you wanted taught was combat. His explanations may not have been the greatest, but you were able to understand the point he was trying to get across. He had taken down a tyrant; taken down multiple big names in East Blue; and all with only minimal usage of his Devil Fruit. To Nami especially, he had started to seem almost unassailable. His only downside seemed to be him not being the brightest bulb on the shelf.

So it actually felt fairly good to find something that he downright _sucked_ at.

"Well a Pirate's flag is supposed to be a symbol of death…" Zoro smirked, "I suppose it is quite terrifying if you look at it like that."

"I…I guess it could be abstract art." Nami offered in bemusement.

"You're so artistically challenged I barely have words." Usopp coughed.

Luffy was still grinning cheerfully, "I worked really hard on it."

"It sucks." The three deadpanned. Usopp stepped forward and grabbed a clean black flag and the painting utensils, "Leave it to the pro." He said with a 'mighty' look on his face, "I've been doing graffiti for three decades. I'm a master artist." And while the 'decade' portion was a lie – you would think he would have learned after what happened with Kaya and the villagers – the 'master artist' portion may not have been too far off. "It's done!" He declared happily, showing off his creation.

Both Zoro and Nami punched him in the back of the head, "Idiot!" Luffy had drawn a misshapen skull and crossbones with a giant grin and his signature straw hat on its head, inside a white, stylized sun on his black flag. Instead of cleaning it up and drawing it properly, Usopp had instead drawn a long-nosed skull facing the right with a bandana and one of the crossbones replaced with a slingshot. "You completely changed the symbol!" Nami yelled angrily.

A few minutes later, they were standing above the completed flag, "Uwaahhh!" Luffy cried, stars in his eyes, "It looks awesome!"

"It's perfect!" Nami clapped her hands in delight.

"Alright Usopp, go draw it on the sail as well!" He paused, before looking at it closely, "I think you'll have to make the sun black though, since the sail is white." Not too long after, the flag was stung up on the tallest mast, and the symbol was painted onto the sails.

Usopp was laying on the deck in spread eagle, "I'm tired" he panted.

Nami was equally as sweaty, having just gone through another training session with Luffy. She was right beside Usopp in the same position, while Zoro was laying back on the mast with a sleepy expression.

BOOM

All three of them jumped, "Oi, what the hell are you doing?" Zoro yawned angrily. He had almost been asleep when Luffy decided to try blowing their eardrums out!

Luffy turned around and blinked, "I'm testing out the cannon of course." He said as if that should have been immediately obvious. He turned and looked out at his target with a frown, "Can't get the stupid thing to shoot properly though."

Usopp stood up, rolling up his metaphorical sleeves, "Stand aside, my amateur friend." He cracked his fingers and slipped his goggles down onto his eyes. He stared at the rock Luffy was pointing at in concentration, "Wind is low…small adjustment…calculating drop needed for this distance… That should about do it." He yanked on the cord that fired the cannon, and it went off with another huge bang. The rock was practically blown in half when the cannonball hit it.

"Wow!" Luffy yelled in excitement, "You got it on your first shot!"

"You're right! I did!" Usopp yelled in excitement, before straightening up with a cheesy grin on his face, "I mean, of course I did! I'm an old hand at this you see. I'm an expert at aiming. Feel free to worship my skills as Captain!"

Luffy grinned and clapped him on the back, making him stumble, "I've decided, you're definitely our sniper."

Usopp blinked, "You mean I'm not the Captain?" He sounded legitimately puzzled here. Luffy glared, making a shiver go up his spine, "Fine!" Usopp said as they all went inside the cabin, "But if you ever chicken out on something, I'll be the Captain!"

Nami immediately glared a hole into him at that, "There's only one man I would call Captain, and his name does not start with a 'U.'"

Usopp shivered again at the promise of pain in her gaze, "Eeash…touchy." He mumbled, head down.

Luffy grinned despite himself at Nami's declaration, before a light bulb appeared over his head, "Oh right!" Luffy said, clapping a fist into his open palm, "We have one more crucial position to fill before we enter the Grand Line!"

Nami smiled, brushing her bangs back, "That's right, this is the kitchen isn't it?" She had a knowing look, "Well, I suppose I could do it…for some cash." She grinned greedily.

Zoro was smiling lazily, "An indispensable crewmate for long voyages huh?"

Luffy grinned widely, "You think so too right? Yep, what a pirate crew really needs is…a musician!"

"ARE YOU RETARDED?" They all yelled with white eyes and shark teeth.

Nami slapped a palm to her face, "And just when I thought you would say something smart. Do you have any idea what sailing is actually like?"

"But pirates love to sing!" Luffy protested, crestfallen.

"COME OUT YOU GOD DAMN PIRATES!" An extremely loud, extremely angry voice roared from outside on the deck. Usopp jumped roughly three miles into the air, spilling his coffee everywhere. "I'M GOING TO SLAUGHTER ALL OF YOU!"

"The hell?" Luffy asked, before running outside with Nami hot on his heels. He kicked the cabin door open, practically off its hinges, and went into the sunlight. Some guy was standing there with a dadao in his hand. All around him were destroyed (thankfully) empty barrels. Some of the wood on the ship also had slash marks on it, "What the hell? Who the hell are you!" Luffy yelled furiously, jumping down onto the main deck of the ship.

The man grit his teeth, "Who am I?" He started trembling in rage, "I should be asking you…WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, KILLING MY BUDDY?!" He ran forward and swung his sword down.

Luffy growled, and backhanded the blade straight out of the man's hand. He gasped as it flew sideways and imbedded itself onto the side of the ship. Luffy closed his hand and drilled him right in the jaw. The man swore he felt his jaw crack from the impact as he flew in the direction of his sword, "Almost…" He coughed, "…had him…"

"No you didn't." Nami deadpanned as she landed over him. She stuck her staff under his jaw and pushed up, "Now why the hell were you wrecking our ship?"

Zoro walked out of the kitchen with a yawn, before blinking twice, "Huh? That you, Johnny?"

The man – who was apparently named Johnny – gasped and tried to sit up, before remembering the staff at his throat, "Zoro-aniki?! Is that really you?!" He croaked.

Zoro ignored the question, "Where's Yosaku huh? Isn't he always with you?"

Johnny grit his teeth as Nami decided to throw him a bone and allowed him to sit up, "Yosaku is sick!" A few minutes later, they had collected the sick man from Johnny's dinghy and brought him onto the deck. He was a mess. He had a small bit of blood dribbling from his lips, and was lightly bleeding from various wounds, "He was fine a few days ago!" Johnny cried, "Then he started turning pale and even started passing out! His teeth started falling out…his gums were bleeding…even old wounds reopened!" He bowed his head, "I was trying to let him get some rest on top of a rock we found…but then this ship shot a cannonball at us!"

Usopp and Luffy both jawdropped. Their mouths were wide open, hanging as if they were unhinged. They were both sweating profusely, "We…we're very sorry."

Johnny looked miserable, "It's fine." He sighed, "If apologies could solve every problem there would be no need for policemen." If anything that just made Usopp and Luffy look even more contrite, "Yosaku and Johnny…we were infamous enough to have pirates quaking in their boots! We've lived and worked together for years! This can't be how it ends!"

Mount Nami had enough and finally exploded, "ARE YOU ALL BLOODY IDIOTS?!"

"What was that?" Zoro growled at her.

"Hey lady, I won't let you mock my friend's suffering!" Johnny looked ready to attack again.

"Am I the ONLY ONE on this ship who knows a single damn thing about the sea?!" She yelled, before sighing and running a hand down her face, "Usopp! Go get a pitcher from the kitchen and squeeze out the juice! Now!" Usopp ran off in a hurry.

"…Limes?"

Nami leaned back on the rail, "Your idiot friend has scurvy." She glared at him, "This is what happens when you don't eat enough fruits and vegetables! How is it that not ONE of you knew something EVERY sailor should know!" Luffy was pouring the lime juice down Yosaku's throat while Usopp held his head up. The man seemed to be swallowing instinctively.

Johnny looked shocked and ecstatic. He sprang up and got right in Nami's face, practically spiting on her, "Are you telling me the truth Sis?"

Nami backed away slightly, "Don't call me that." She sighed and closed her eyes, "Scurvy is caused by not eating right. If you don't eat fruits and vegetables, you'll lack many of the essential nutrients found in them. In the past it was practically a death sentence. We didn't have the technology needed to store fruits and vegetables for long, so voyages often had many sailors die from it."

"Wow!" Luffy looked awed, "You're like doctor!"

Usopp was crowing, "Yeah, I always knew that girl was special. Captain Usopp's eyes are never wrong!"

Nami's white-eyed shark-teeth face made a return, "IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE SAILING YOU SHOULD AT LEAST KNOW THIS MUCH! YOUR STUPIDITY WILL BE THE END OF YOU!"

"YOSH! I'm charged up and full of nutrients! I'm ready for action!" Yosaku sprang to his feet in a burst of energy.

"YES! MY PARTNER IS FINE NOW!" Johnny yelled in excitement.

"LIKE HELL HE IS! NO ONE RECOVERS THAT FAST!" Nami screeched at them, "LAY DOWN BEFORE YOU HURT YOURSELF! AGAIN!"

"Sorry for the late introductions." Johnny said, resting his fist on his face. He was a tan, average-sized man with short black hair. He wore sunglasses, and had a tattoo on his cheek which read, 'sea.' He had a light blue jacket over a purple shirt, and gray pants, "The name's Johnny."

"And I'm Yosaku." He said, lifting a cigarette to his lips. He had a green coat over a black shirt and plaid yellow shorts. He had some strange red headgear and unshaven legs, "Zoro used to bounty hunt with us in the past. Nice to meet all of you." He grinned, "I have no idea how to thank you all. I thought I was going to die for sure!"

Johnny chuckled, "Still, I never would have guessed that the infamous pirate hunter would become a pirate himself!" He would have gone on but Yosaku keeled over, coughing up blood. Johnny turned around with his mouth wide and gaping, "YOSAKU!"

"JUST GET SOME REST ALREADY, YOU IDIOTS!" Zoro roared at the two.

Nami smacked her face with her palm again, "Let this be a lesson to you idiots! The sea is a rough place! You have to eat properly or even that will kill you!"

Zoro sighed, "Yeah, I guess these are the kinds of dangers we'll have to face if we'll be on long voyages."

"They both probably would have died if we didn't come by them." Usopp was sitting on the mast as he said this, "We definitely will need to stay healthy! We need a Chef of the Sea!"

"It's one of the most important skills you can have on the sea." Nami said, "I'm not a bad hand, but I'm certainly no chef."

"I've decided!" Luffy grinned widely, "Let's go get ourselves a Sea Cook! Eating good food can never be a bad thing!"

"Bro!" Johnny said, raising his hand in the air like a schoolboy, "If a cook is what you're after, I know just the place!" He grinned, "Though recruiting one will be a whole other matter." He spent a few minutes describing the place.

"A restaurant on the seas!" Everyone looked pretty excited at this.

"That's right! It's a fair ways away; about 2-3 days!" he crossed his arms, looking serious, "But that place is close to the Grand Line. Lots of dangerous folks around these parts."

"You don't know the meaning of the word." Nami deadpanned, nudging Luffy gently with a grin.

Johnny continued, ignoring her, "Even that 'Hawk-Eyed' man you've been looking for has been sighted there before."

As the ship turned to the north, a slightly-sweating Zoro could only look both terrified and exhilarated.

 **-]|[-**

Zoro grit his teeth so hard he was starting to become afraid of chewing through _Wado._ Luffy – they all had discovered – was complete garbage with swords. He was so bad in fact, that he was more likely to cut his own leg off with one, even if he was holding it completely correctly. Zoro didn't actually think it was possible to be THAT BAD with a sword.

The staff – or in his case, a pipe – was a whole different story.

"GUH!" Zoro grunted as Luffy's pipe danced and knocked two of his swords high. A dull thunk rang through the air as Luffy's leg hit his side for a devastating impact that almost lifted him straight off his feet. Growling, he swung two of his swords in a scissor-like motion, aiming for his captain's neck.

Luffy vanished, that massive grin of his still on his face. He appeared behind Zoro, who whirled around and got ready, " **Rankyaku**!" He yelled and kicked upward, sending a powerful blade of compressed air straight at the swordsman. Zoro grunted and his right blade flashed. He swung it upwards, his own compressed-air blade flying from his sword. The two connected in midair and caused enough friction to generate a little bit of static, before dissipating, "Shishishi, you've gotten pretty good at that, Zoro."

Zoro panted heavily. He was covered in a light sheen of sweat from their spar, and if he were a weaker guy, he would no doubt be covered in bruises. Either that or he would be just one massive bruise, "Thanks Captain." He said clearly, despite the blade in his mouth. He had a tired, but happy grin on his face. Ever since they had started actually sparring, Zoro could feel himself grow stronger by leaps and bounds. Luffy had also been slowly ramping up the amount of force he used in his hits, increasing the amount of punishment Zoro was forced to take. By necessity, the swordsman had started learning the beginnings of **Tekkai**. Every time Zoro thought he had the damn move down, Luffy would just break through it and correct that sentiment. They had given Kami-e up as a bad job for now, though he had also taught Zoro the basics of **Rankyaku**. Zoro had chosen to apply them to his swords rather than his legs.

Johnny and Yosaku – who were watching the spar carefully – were both blue, "Zoro-aniki is so strong…and he can't even land a good hit on Luffy-aniki…" A stray lead ball beaning Johnny in the head reminded them that they weren't the only two sparring.

Usopp's physical conditioning was pretty piss poor, even though he could take a rather shocking amount of damage without collapsing. So until that could be improved, Luffy had instructed him to spar with Nami, who was really starting to get the hang of **Soru** by now. Usopp was increasing his firing speed with his slingshot, trying to hit Nami at all with it, while she was dodging and attacking him. Nami – who was rather annoyed with tweedle dee and tweedle dumb for constantly calling her 'bro' – had made sure she positioned herself so that they would be collateral damage occasionally. Usopp was also covered in welts and bruises from her staff and kicks.

Luffy had been quite clear that they would face strong opponents on the Grand Line. If you were on the crew, you trained, and you trained hard.

Finally, Luffy called a stop to the day's practice, "Nice job guys! Shishishi!" Zoro let out a giant sigh in relief, sheathing his swords and instantly falling asleep against the mast. Usopp crumbled and lay spread eagle, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Nami came out of a **Soru** and fell to her knees, propping herself up by leaning on her staff. She was covered in a heavy sheen of sweat and her chest was heaving from her heavy panting. She was also covered in some light welts, from her earlier practice with Luffy himself.

"He practiced with all of them and he's not even breathing all that hard." Yosaku was in awe, and was feeling pretty intimidated. Johnny was thanking his lucky stars that these were cool pirates, otherwise he probably would have already been dead, stuffed, and hung on a wall inside the ship for his earlier attacks.

"Shishishi," Luffy looked pretty amused at the state of his crew. He was also really proud of them. Other than some bellyaching from Usopp – who kept claiming diseases to try to get out of training – they were all taking to training like fish to water. "Okay, so you two!" The two bounty hunters stiffened to attention, "How close are we to this restaurant?"

Johnny was the one who replied, "Oh, I'd say we're about six hours out!"

Nami grinned happily, "Awesome! That's enough time for me to have a nice, long soak." She wobbled to her feet and walked shakily to her room, eager to hop into a hot, relaxing bath. Zoro just continued sleeping. Usopp looked like he had passed out. "Luffy, you go shower too after I'm done!" She called before heading inside.

Luffy blinked, "Why?" He yelled at her retreating form.

"Because you reek!" She yelled back, already inside. Luffy blinked again, before sniffing under his arms. His nose wrinkled a bit. Nami had a point, he chuckled to himself as he walked into the ship after her.

 **-]|[-**

"Zoro-aniki! Luffy-Aniki! Usopp-Aniki! Nami-aniki!" The swordsmen duo called out, "We're here!"

Nami came by and walloped the both of them, leaving them smoking on the deck with cartoonish lumps growing out of their heads, "Stop calling me 'bro' god damn it!"

But they all grouped up on deck for their first looks at the _Baratie_! It was a very strange looking boat. It was a decent bit bigger than the _Going Merry_ ,with three visible decks and likely four levels. It had normal masts and was an oval shape around, but what made it unique was the gaping fish head they had for a figurehead along with the tail at the other end. "Wow!" Nami yelled with a giant grin. The actual crew – even Luffy somehow – had all decided not to eat today so that the food here would taste extra good. She was pretty eager to get inside and order. She – and the entire crew for that matter – was salivating.

"That's so funky!" Usopp yelled as he stared at the ship.

"FISH!" Luffy screamed. Zoro was the only one looking even slightly calm, though his mouth was definitely watering.

And then they noticed the Marine Ship coming up beside them. Yosaku and Johnny started to sweat, "Oi, oi, we ain't pirates here." They decided to try to hide behind the cabin door.

A Marine dressed in formal wear stepped out. He had a pale, pinstripe suit on, bolts attached to his knuckles, pink hair running past his ears, and a scar running on his cheek. "Hmm…I've never seen that flag before…" He breathed calmly, "I'm Marine Lieutenant "Iron Fist" Fullbody. Who is your Captain?"

Luffy stepped up without a care in the world, "That would be me. I'm Luffy. We just painted our flag yesterday." Johnny and Yosaku were behind him chuckling at this.

"And I'm Usopp!" Usopp declared, arms crossed. Nami's smoking fist deposited him into the floor.

Fullbody's eye quirked, "Huh, I've seen you two before. You've skulked around some bounty offices in the past." He wasn't smirking or anything, but still managed to come across as incredibly condescending, "You two small-timers finally got yourselves caught huh?"

"Small-timers?" Yosaku repeated distastefully.

"Hey Yosaku, I think this bro is sticking it to us." Johnny said, his mouth hidden by his fist.

"We can't let some asshole go around calling us 'small time' now can we?" Yosaku took a drag from his cigarette, "It's not going to net us a single Beli, but I think we oughta teach this kid how to keep his mouth shut."

They both leapt from the _Going_ _Merry_ with their blades drawn, "YOU COCKY LITTLE YUPPIE!"

The following beat down would not have been appropriate for daytime television. The two idiots were soon back on the ship, legs sticking out into the air. Johnny's face was swollen and full of lumps, and his nose was bleeding. Yosaku's nose was bleeding as well, and he had some teeth knocked out of his gaping gob. "A-almost had him…"

"Man, you guys suck." Luffy deadpanned.

"N-no…he's just not too shabby either…" They groaned, "It w-was a close one…"

Zoro was looking a little embarrassed, "What the hell are you two doing?"

A voice sounded from the cabin of the Marine vessel, "Darling, stop beating on these nobodies. You promised me a good dinner." A woman stepped out, wearing a fancy red dress with her light blonde hair done up.

"Ah yes." Fullbody finally showed some emotion, allowing the pretty blonde to take his arm. He called back to the Strawhats, "Consider yourselves lucky, pirates! I'm on vacation today, so I'm just here for the good food and my lovely lady. Next time we meet, your lives are forfeit."

Nami got on her knees and started gathering up some of the papers that had fallen out of Johnny's jacket. She immediately stiffened in fury when she saw _his_ face on one of the bounty posters. Luffy took note of that, as she crumpled it in her clenched fists. He put his hand on her shoulder and eyed the person on the paper. It was some sort of fish guy named Arlong. Nami started, before crumpling it into a ball and throwing it overboard. "You okay Nami?"

Her nostrils flared before looking at him, "…Soon…okay Luffy? Tonight." She whispered, standing and wrapping her arms around him. He returned the hug as she placed her head in the crook of his neck. And Luffy understood. This guy had something to do with Nami's anger against pirates.

"We're in trouble!" Usopp yelled in terror, interrupting their moment. Fullbody had already taken his dinghy over to the _Baratie_ , but before he had done so, he had ordered his men to sink them once he and his date were inside the restaurant! Usopp was sweating as he pointed at the ship, "THEY'RE FIRING AT US!"

With a BOOM, the Marine cannon fired, sending a cannonball speeding towards their ship. Luffy let go of Nami and lazily caught the large iron ball. Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku's eyes all bugged out of their heads while their jaws dropped to the floor. "THE HELL!?"

Luffy grinned as he bounced the ball up and down, "You call this tiny thing a cannonball?" He asked cheekily. Nami and Zoro were smirking as the Marines all panicked, "Here, you can have this back!" He chucked it, and in the time it took Usopp and the two hunters to blink, the Marine ship had a massive gaping hole torn through the cabin. The mast – which had also been in the path – had eighty percent of the wood blown away about three feet above the deck. It creaked and groaned before falling over. "Don't shoot at us again, or next time I'll _actually_ sink you!" Luffy called out, before going to their dinghy.

 **-]|[-**

"Oh wow! It's Marine Lieutenant Fullbody sitting there!"

"Look at how classy he is!"

"I can't believe a big time lieutenant is sitting here!"

The _Baratie's_ guests were all having a ball watching the 'celebrity' in the room.

"You're the center of attention. How amazing!" Fullbody's date held a glass of wine up.

"Nonsense, I'm sure they're all looking at your brilliance." Fullbody replied in his most suave tone. He smirked as he heard the bang of a cannon go off outside. No doubt those pirates were enjoying his little _surprise_. They clinked their glasses together before taking a little taste, "Mhmm, this delicate scent! It must be from Micqueot of the Northern Lands! And this slight sourness mixed with a thick, dry taste… it must be Itelzbulger Stein! Am I wrong, waiter?" He asked the blonde man holding a plate in his fingers.

"You're not even close, sir." The blonde had a dry smirk on his face, "And by the way, I'm not a waiter. I'm the Sous Chef, and I am temporarily filling in for the waiters who fled the restaurant yesterday. My name is Sanji." Sanji was a tall, slim, but muscular man. His decently-long blonde hair was parted to one side, so only one of his eyes could be seen. Above that eye was a swirl, which was actually his eyebrow. He wore a black, double breasted suit with golden buttons. His dress shirt was a pinstriped navy formal shirt, and he had a slightly-loosened black tie. He placed the plate on the table and placed a cigarette in his mouth, enjoying the shocked look on Fullbody's face, "Please enjoy your soup while it's hot."

"Pfff…" Another of the guests was trying to hold his laughter in.

"Hey, don't laugh!" Another scolded.

"How can't I?" Another was laughing outright, "He sounded so sure of himself!"

Fullbody had an extremely embarrassed look to him. His date was still smiling, though that may actually have been worse than laughter. "You seem very knowledgeable about wine, despite the blunder."

Fullbody coughed, "I usually am…my tongue must be a little numb today." He tried to power his way through the embarrassment, ' _The hell is going on? I specifically_ asked the owner _for that wine!_ ' He started planning out his revenge, intending on getting the waiter fired. As he was facing away from the door, he never noticed the Strawhats come in and be seated. His date noticed, but her attention had been all on Fullbody at the time, so she didn't realize they were the pirates that Fullbody had ordered sunk.

Sanji laid eyes on Nami and they immediately turned into hearts, leaping out of his head while the heart in his chest did the same. He practically noodled over to their table, "O'blessed are the oceans for this day!" He got on bended knee and bowed to the orange-haired girl, who had a wicked, greedy smirk on her face, "Blessed Goddess, thank you for gracing our restaurant with your glory this day! Please, accept this Fruit Macedonia, as well as this glass of Grand Mariner."

"Oh, thank you so much, Sous Chef!" Nami clapped her hands together with a wide, pleased smile. Sanji looked even more love-struck by her words, and that she got his title correct. She put on the act of a love-stuck schoolgirl, and she did it fabulously, "I'm afraid the food here is a little expensive for me though…" She trailed off leadingly, her hand on his cheek.

Sanji sniffed, "Please, a Goddess such as yourself has no need to pay for your food. I would be delighted to serve you for free."

"Ah, thank you so much!" Nami gave him a hug. Luffy was eyeing them with a strange feeling. He didn't know why, but he really didn't like seeing Nami acting this way with the blonde, though he did like his cooking from the few fruits he had already stolen from Nami's glass. Nami saw Luffy with the vaguely angry glint in his eye, and it made her smile even wider. "Oh Sous Chef, I believe I'll have one of every meat dish on the menu, as well as a lot of rice and vegetables." She winked at Luffy, and he broke into a wide grin, barely holding back a laugh. Some minutes later, they were all digging in and found the food to be absolutely glorious.

"Hey!" Usopp yelled, "Serve the rest of us as well, cook! This is gender discrimination! I'll sue!"

Sanji's joyous expression disappeared as he turned to face Usopp, "I already gave you your tea. Be a little grateful, punk."

"You want to start something?" Usopp had a comical look of rage on his face, "I won't go easy on you! Go get him, Zoro!"

"Get him yourself." Zoro drawled lazily, taking a sip of the tea, "This is some pretty good tea too."

"Delicious!" Nami exclaimed, having tasted a few of the fruits. She shared a few with Luffy as well. She looked at the two, "Oh you two, please don't fight over me." She even had a convincing sad look on her face, with her hands clasped together in front of her as if in prayer.

"Who's fighting over you!" Usopp roared at her angrily.

"Anything for you, miss!" Sanji was back into love-mode.

"Damn lecher." Zoro muttered from behind his cup.

The Strawhats all were awed by how delicious the food they had was. When asked, Sanji told them that he made everything himself. Luffy was gorging himself on all the meat Nami had ordered, much to Sanji's dismay. But, he couldn't do anything about it, as Nami had specifically shared everything with him. "It's so good!" Luffy yelled in excitement, "This is the best food I've ever eaten!" The rest of the table echoed the sentiment, putting a proud smirk onto Sanji's face. He was still miffed over Luffy eating the food he had made special for Nami, but that comment earned him a few points.

Suddenly, Fullbody called from another part of the room, "Oh waiter!"

Sanji growled and walked over to their table, "I believe I've already told you I'm not a waiter." He turned to Fullbody's date, "My, how beautiful you are. Would you like to share a glass of fine wine over there? We have an excellent selection." She blushed lightly, and deferred in a giggly tone.

Fullbody grit his teeth at this shameless waiter, "Hey, just what do you think this damn _bug_ is doing in my soup, waiter?" Outwardly, he was stone faced. But inwardly he was smirking like mad, ' _Hehehe, how do you like that, bastard? I put this bug in the soup myself. You embarrassed me earlier, and now I'll make sure your reputation is ruined. You'll be fired before the day is out!_ '

Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, "I hardly claim to be an expert on insects, but if I had to guess I would say the backstroke." Silence.

Then, the entire restaurant burst out laughing, all the while Fullbody grew increasingly red. Sanji 2, Fullbody 0. "DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Fullbody stood with a roar and his iron-studded fist broke the table and the dish into pieces, sending them clattering to the floor. Most of the room gasped, while his date skidded her chair backward with a scared shriek, "You don't seem to have any idea who you're messing with." He growled, clenching his iron fist in front of him.

Sanji's eyes were shadowed, "All you had to do was remove the bug you put in, and it would have been edible."

A vein bulged on Fullbody's neck, "You're real fucking full of yourself for a damn cook, aren't you! I'm a paying customer!"

Sanji got on one knee and picked up a shattered piece of plate, "I spent three days and nights on this soup."

His date panicked and held her hands helplessly in front of her, "Fullbody stop, please forgive him!"

"Can money fill your stomach?" Sanji asked, danger in his tone.

At that line, the rest of the waiters and chefs all panicked, almost choking, "We have to stop him! Stop Sous Chef Sanji!"

Fullbody charged, and seconds later was absolutely covered in blood. Sanji's fancy dress shoes had simply flashed as he kicked and pummeled Fullbody as his horrified date looked on. His suit was completely ruined by the red fluid. Before Fullbody could fall, Sanji held him up by his collar with one hand, "Going against a Chef of the Sea is tantamount to suicide." Fullbody's eyes were rolled back into his head, "Don't you dare waste food, you imbecile."

Zoro cringed at the scene, and mechanically turned his head towards Luffy. He didn't bother biting back a groan. Luffy had stars in his eyes as he stared at Sanji. He ran a hand down his face, "Why him? Of all the cooks in this damn restaurant, it just had to be _him_." He turned to Johnny and Yosaku, who were looking quite embarrassed, "So, ' _he's just not too shabby either_ ,' huh?" They only looked more embarrassed as Zoro smirked at them.

A new guy appeared. He was a comically muscular man – his biceps were small but his forearms were _huge –_ with very skinny legs but a huge torso and a head shaped like a pear. His lips and his chin were huge, surrounded by a short black beard, and his head was shaved bald, with a white rope tied around it. He wore a navy blue shirt with golden buttons on both sides. He had a white cloth belt holding up his shorts, which were the same color as his shirt. His name was Patty, and he had been in the bathroom giving himself a pep talk. With the waiters fleeing, the cooks had to wait the tables, and Patty was definitely _not_ a people person. So, he had been practicing cheesy lines in front of a mirror, all the while saying "Customers are gods!" So now he walked into the dining area, saying, "The customers are Gods! The customers are… WHAAAAAT! THE CUSTOMER IS BEING…!" He had a comical, shark-toothed look of shock on his face. It morphed into an angry growl of rage, "What the hell are you doing to our customer Sanji?!" He then noted who said customer was and his eyes bulged, "NOT ONLY THAT, BUT HE'S A MARINE LIEUTENANT!"

Sanji looked back, still holding Fullbody up by the neck, "Oh, it's just you, the shitty cook. Don't call my name so causally like that."

Smoke erupted from Patty's nose, "I ain't going to stand here and let a shitty cook call me a shitty cook." He walked forward, "Customers are Gods, Sanji! So how do you explain his injuries, huh?"

Sanji carelessly tossed Fullbody away, "Of course you would call customers Gods. Some of them can actually stomach your shitty cooking, oceans know how." He took a drag from his cigarette, "He dared waste our precious food and insulted a cook. I just taught him some manners is all."

Fullbody awoke with a bloody cough and struggled to sit up, "What the hell is wrong with this place? They're just like pirates! How can you mistreat your customers like this!" He yelled furiously, "I'll report this place to headquarters and have you shut down, do you hear me?"

Sanji stiffened and turned to him, looking surprisingly normal for the fury practically wafting off him, "You're going to shut us down huh? Well, I'm afraid that leaves me no choice but to kill you."

Fullbody choked, "Wha!?"

"It just gets me so angry…" Sanji started off at a normal tone, but his volume had increased to shouting level, even as three other panicked cooks tried to hold him back, afraid that he would actually kill the Marine Lieutenant, "TO SEE A SPOILED SON OF A BITCH LIKE YOU!"

"Stop Sanji! You're going too far!"

"Just who the hell do you think you are?!" Sanji almost bit through his smoke.

A new man entered the dining room. He had a peg leg and a hilariously tall Chef's Hat. It was practically twice his height. He had dull yellow hair and a long, braided mustache with a short, pointy beard. He wore a horizontally striped, purple and orange shirt, dark pants, and a chef's uniform draped from his shoulders. "Sanji! Are you running wild in my restaurant again?"

"Shut up, you shitty geezer." Sanji replied in an even tone.

"It's exactly as it looks. Head Chef Zeff! Sanji beat up some idiot Marine Lieutenant!" Patty told him.

Zeff's eyes flashed, and so did his peg leg. It smacked Sanji right in the face, sending him crashing to the floor. It was quite a good roundhouse kick, "Are you trying to sink my restaurant, you little shit?!" Fullbody looked elated at Sanji finally getting taken down a peg, before a puzzled look came over his face as Zeff kicked Sanji only once and then walked over to him, "AND YOU! GET THE HELL OUT ALREADY!" Zeff's peg leg swung once more and sent Fullbody flying into the wall, his humiliation complete.

"You're all crazy!" He said as best he could from his cracked jaw, ' _Just what do they think their customers are? They're all insane! This violent place is just like a pirate ship!_ ' He then laid eyes on Luffy and his crew for the first time since they entered, "Wh-what are you pirates doing in here?! My ship sunk yours!"

Nami smirked cheekily, and chirped back at him, "Oh, you mean that cannonball? Oh, we don't like having our ship destroyed you see." She had such an innocent look on her face, you would think she was actually an angel, "So our Captain returned it to you! I hope you swim well!" She waved cheerily, "Bye, bye!" Luffy burst out laughing as Fullbody's humiliation was now extra well done. The Strawhats and unknowing future Strawhat joined him in laughing.

A Marine burst into the room, soaking wet from sweat with a look of terror on his face, "Lieutenant! Lieutenant Fullbody sir! It's an emergency!" He eyed Fullbody, not even noticing his decimated state, "That Krieg Pirate we captured escaped the brig!" He shouted in panic, making some in the restaurant itself panic as well, "It took seven of us to capture him in the first place, and now he's gone!"

"That's impossible!" Fullbody yelped in shock, "He hasn't eaten in weeks, and we certainly haven't fed him since his capture three days ago! He shouldn't even have the strength to move!"

Some of the customers panicked, "Krieg? THAT KRIEG? The strongest pirate in the East Blue?" Luffy's ears quirked, but he didn't bother correcting them. They were just normal people after all.

The hapless Marine yelled, "Please forgi-" Before being cut off entirely by a bullet to the back. His front exploded outward and started dripping blood, even as he slumped forward and crashed to the floor.

The man behind him walked forward, his boots clacking on the wooden floor, audible in the nearly silent restaurant. The chefs weren't silent, nor was Luffy or his crew, even as the man sat down, "Anything will do. Get me some food!" He said clearly, inclining back on his chair and laying one of his dirty legs on top of the clean table, "This place is a restaurant isn't it?" He was a relatively thin man of average height with short, scruffy hair, a scruffy beard, and a barely-visible mustache. He has dark circles under his eyes, as though he hadn't slept in quite a while. He had a green shirt with a very skinny white jacket over it, embosomed with a red dragon. He also had gray pants and a white and blue striped headband.

Patty came forward, his cheesiest grin on his pear-shaped face. He would have looked absolutely hysterical if it wasn't so creepy, "Welcome, ya squid-faced crook!"

The man scowled, "Do your ears work? I'm only going to say this once more, so listen up! I'm a customer, so bring me food! Now!"

"That cook is dead…" Fullbody mumbled.

"Pardon me dumbass," Luffy and his crew erupted into laughter over in their corner, "But how are you planning on paying for your meal?" He scratched the top of his head.

The Krieg Pirate growled and placed a pistol dead center of Patty's forehead, "Do ya take lead?"

"No money huh?" Patty said. Before the pirate could make another move, Patty's huge forearms smashed him through his table in a hammer blow.

"Damn that idiot Patty. He broke my table." Zeff grouched.

"If you can't pay the bill, then you ain't no customer." Patty had his arms crossed.

Some of the cooks cheered him on, "Nice going Patty! Show that idiot pirate who's boss!" Zeff and Sanji were notably absent from this cheering, which the Strawhats noticed curiously. Sanji got up and walked into the kitchen.

The noise from the pirate's rumbling stomach filled the room, and Patty leaned down to ask, "Aww, is your stomach growling?" He was quite cruel and condescending.

"It's just gas jackass. Now bring me some food."

Patty looked enraged, "If you don't have money then you're not a paying customer! Get the hell out of the restaurant!" He kicked the downed pirate as hard as he could, sending him rolling backwards, "This isn't a place for broke ass pirates like you! I'm not going to give you even a single bread crumb!" The man coughed up some blood. Fullbody then made the decision to get the hell out of dodge, even leaving his date behind like a coward. The normal people and most of the cooks cheered – Zeff again noticeably absent – but the Strawhats didn't look all too pleased.

"What an asshole." Nami frowned, before turning to Luffy as the pirate crawled his way outside, "Please tell me that's not our cook." Luffy gave her a sideways half-glare, which made her shiver. She _really_ didn't like that look being directed at her, "Didn't think so."

Zeff was looking at Patty and shaking his head as the man curtsied. Curtsied! "Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the rest of your meals!" The large man called out, that cheesy grin once again on his face.

Luffy and Nami eyed Sanji as he left the kitchens with a plate and a cup of juice. He walked out onto the deck. They both stood and trailed after him, eager to see what he would do.

The man was laying on the wood groaning in horrible pain. Suddenly, he heard a click in front of him. Sanji had placed a plate of rice and steamed vegetables with a class of juice in front of him, "Eat up." Sanji said, laying back against the rail to keep the man company.

He salivated and gulped, before growling, "This is worse! Take it away! I won't take your charity!"

"It isn't charity. To me, any hungry person is a customer." Sanji said, chewing on his cigarette, "It's incomprehensible, being on the open sea without food." He looked at the sky, "It can be a cruel, cruel place." He bowed his head and sighed, "I understand it more than most…how bad it is to starve on the open ocean…" He looked at the man, "If you want to die with dignity, then be my guest. But if you eat and live, you'll be able to fight for that dignity instead, won't you?"

He gave one last gulp, before springing up and grabbing the plate. He started scarfing down the food, tears of utter joy streaming down his cheeks, "Delicious…it's so delicious!" He cried, mouth still full, "It's the most delicious food I've ever eaten! I've never tasted anything so good! I'm so grateful! So grateful! I thought it was over for me!"

"It's damn good huh?" Sanji had a happy grin of his own.

Above them on the higher deck, both Nami and Luffy were grinning, "Yeah, that's much better." She commented cheerfully.

Luffy called out below, "How lucky! Looks like you got some food after all!" He chuckled as both the men below started and looked up, "You looked like you were about to die! Shishishi." He turned to Sanji and pointed at him, "Hey cook! You should join my crew! Be the cook for our pirate ship, will ya?"

"…Eh?" Both of the men looked dumbfounded. Sanji shook his head, "So, you're a pirate huh?" He grinned lightly, "Well, you better not try anything on this ship. The Head Cook used to be quite the pirate himself."

"Oh, the old man used to be a pirate?" Luffy asked curiously.

"I didn't think you could just quit being a pirate." Nami said dryly, "The hell happened to his bounty then?" Sanji just stared at her, love-struck.

Luffy got in front of her as she rolled her eyes, unseen to Sanji. He shook himself, "This restaurant's like a treasure to the old man." He said, grinning, "The rest of us cooks all came because we admired him, and most of them are hot-blooded enough to be pirates." He made a wavy motion with his hand, "Quite appropriate, seeing how often this place is visited by the real deal."

The Krieg Pirate smirked, "Not a quiet moment in this place, huh?"

Sanji shook his head in exasperation, "It is part of the daily routine nowadays. It's gotten to the point where some guests don't even show up for the food anymore. Some of them come just to watch the fights." He slipped his cigarette back into his mouth, "Thanks to that, most of our waiters got scared and ran away."

"Shishishi!" Luffy and Nami giggled, before jumping down, "Anyway, join my crew!"

"I refuse." Sanji looked up at the sky, "I have my own reasons for wanting to work here."

"Oh that's too bad…" Nami trailed off sadly, making sure to lean forward and put a pout on her full lips, "I was quite looking forward to eating your delicious food all the time."

Sanji looked like he was half choking, half steaming from his nose. Hearts had once more replaced his eyes, "You…you're on his crew?" She nodded with a happy-go-lucky smile, "Oh, how cruel the seas can be! To be so close but so far!"

"Doesn't matter anyway! I refuse your refusal!" Luffy stated, getting a giggle out of Nami. "You're a good cook so we'll be pirates together!"

Sanji stared blankly at him, "Hey, at least hear me out."

Luffy blinked, "Okay, what's your reason then?"

"No need to tell you." He exhaled a puff of smoke.

"…Are you some kind of idiot? You just told me to hear you out." Nami couldn't help it anymore and burst into joyful laughter.

Sanji grit his teeth and snarled at him, "I just meant you should listen to people opinions! Don't make me chop you up you shitty Strawhat!"

"What did you say?" Luffy snarled back, "You insult my hat again and I'll send you flying!"

"Sorry to cut in…" The Krieg pirate butted his head into the conversation.

"What is it!" Both of the furious men snarled at him.

"The name's Gin." The newly-named Gin said, "I'm a member of the Krieg Pirates. You say you're a pirate kid? What's your goal?"

"One Piece." Luffy said, his scowl dissolving and grinning brightly, "I'm going to become the Pirate King."

Sanji's eyes widened, though Gin simply stared at him blankly, "One Piece… If you're still looking for a cook, I'm guessing that means your crew isn't so big then?"

"He's fifth." Luffy said, pointing his thumb sideways at Sanji.

"Why are you counting me you shitty Strawhat! I already said no!"

Gin sighed, "You don't seem like a bad kid so let me give you some advice…" He looked haunted, "Just give up on going to the Grand Line." He turned away, "You're still young. There's no need to rush things." He held his head with his hands, "The Grand Line is just one ocean amongst the many of this world. If you want to be a pirate there are plenty of other places for you to explore."

Luffy stared at him before starting to pick his nose, "Eh, One Piece is on the Grand Line, so that's where we have to go."

Gin's eyes widened, "Don't you get it kid!" He yelled at him, "There's no way your little crew of five will survive on the Grand Line!"

"You're some kind of idiot aren't you?" Luffy said, flicking a booger over the side, "If all you ever do is run away from your dreams how are you supposed to make them come true?" Gin went wide-eyed, but unknown to them, so did Sanji.

"Kid…" Gin said, before shaking himself, "It's really no business of mine if you die." He shrugged, "At least I tried." He grabbed himself a dinghy at Sanji's urging, "Thank you so much for the food, Sanji!" Gin said, smiling for once, "You're my savior! Would it be alright if I came back here to eat again?"

"Sure." Sanji grinned, "Any time."

"SANJI!" A voice roared from above them.

"Ah, the old man." Luffy said, bending back to look up.

"Ah, sorry Sanji…you're going to get yelled at because of me… because you gave me food." Gin said contritely.

"What are you talking about?" Sanji asked, kicking the plate and cup lightly and sending them off the side of the ship, "How can I get scolded if there's no proof?"

Gin got on his knees as the boat started sailing away and bowed down, "Thank you Sanji! I'll never forget this!"

"Just don't get caught again, Gin!" Sanji waved him away.

"Back to work!" Zeff yelled before turning away, a soft smile coming across his face for the briefest of moments.

They had caught up with Zeff, before Sanji turned to Nami with hearts in his eyes, "O'love…laugh if you will at my poor self who cannot resist his tortuous passions! Were it I could be with you, I would sail any ocean and walk any path, be it pirate or devil! Alas, there is a great obstacle between us!"

"Obstacle you say?" Zeff turned around and looked gruffly at Sanji whose heart-eyes shattered as he turned away from the beautiful orange-haired girl, "Don't mince words you shitty brat. You're talking about me." He crossed his arms, "It's a good chance for you to get off this boat. Get out of here and join them. I don't need someone like you in my restaurant."

Sanji did not look pleased, "You shitty geezer." He said, standing tall and staring at Zeff, "I've been the Sous Chef of this place for near a decade. So just what exactly do you mean when you tell me I'm not needed?"

Zeff scoffed, "It's no big mystery, you shitty brat."

"Well now we know where he learned to talk from." Nami poked Luffy in amusement. He chuckled.

"All you ever do is pick fights with the guests and sniff around the ladies like some mutt in heat." Zeff didn't look apologetic in the least, "You can't cook a decent meal to save your life…" Both the Strawhats frowned at that. Sanji's food was the best they'd ever had before. They noted Sanji's clenched fists, "You're just unnecessary baggage holding the place down. Not to mention the fact that none of the other cooks want you around. So go be a pirate you shitty brat. It's better if you just get the hell off my ship."

Sanji reached forward and snatched Zeff's collar in a tight fist, "You shitty geezer. Have you been wanting to say this garbage for long?" He almost bit through his smoke, "I can ignore all the rest of your drivel, but I can't ignore you insulting my cooking! I'm staying here no matter what you say! Got that!"

Zeff grabbed him by the arm and flung him over his head and slammed him onto the deck so fast that Sanji couldn't even react to it. "How dare you grab the collar of the Head Chef!" He started walking away with a, "Hmph."

Sanji got up and screamed at Zeff's back, "I'm not leaving, you hear me! I'll stay here until the day you die! No matter how you try to chase me out, I'll continue to be a cook here!"

"I ain't dying for at least another hundred years, you shitty brat." Zeff didn't even turn around.

"Pretty mouthy for a shitty geezer." Sanji muttered as he got to his feet.

Luffy clapped him on the back, "Looks like you got fired, so you can come be my coo-"

"As if!" Sanji yelled in his face before walking back into the store.

 **-]|[-**

Night had now fallen, and the crew had made their way back onto the ship, which was moored next to _Baratie_. Luffy knocked on the door to the women's cabin, "Come in!" Nami called to him from inside.

"You wanted to talk?" Luffy asked, as he came in and sat down on the bed with Nami. She gestured him closer and he laid down next to her, wrapping his arm around her side and pulling her in for a tight embrace. "What's wrong?"

"Luffy…I…" She grimaced, not really knowing if she wanted to go through with this.

Luffy started rubbing her back, "You know you can talk to me about anything right?" He asked her, putting her into even more confusion about what she wanted to do.

Luffy was strong. No, he was hellishly strong. She knew for a fact that he could wipe the floor with every single Fishman on Arlong's crew, except for the shark himself. Intellectually, she knew he could defeat even him, but she was afraid of losing him. She had seen – time after time – people come to defeat Arlong only to fail. Time after time, she had gotten her hopes up, only to watch those hopes go up in flames. She had even poisoned him herself, and he had just laughed it off. She teared up, "I know…I just…"

He reached up and wiped her tear away, "I told you I would do anything for my nakama…for you…didn't I Nami?" She reached up and grabbed his hand, entwining her fingers with his with a small smile, "Just trust me."

She sighed, biting her bottom lip, "Okay…" She whispered, "I…it happened years ago." She took a deep breath, "Me and my adoptive sister Nojiko…we both lost our parents young. A Marine woman named Bell-mère found us on a battlefield…" She closed her eyes, still able to see her beautiful mother in her mind's eye, "She left the Marines and adopted the both of us…we were family. None of us were related, but we were a real family. She encouraged us to express ourselves, and I found my love for navigation…for drawing maps of the world." She choked back a sob, "But we were poor… Bell-mère barely made enough to feed and clothe us. She often had to survive only on her tangerines for us to eat. One day, we had a fight after I got caught stealing navigational books because of it and I said some really mean things."

She choked, hiccupped, and then her expression changed. Her sadness changed into sheer hate which warped her face, throwing Luffy for a loop, "And then HE showed up." She snarled, "Eight years ago, a Fishman named Arlong showed up in my hometown of Cocoyashi." She began trembling in rage, unconsciously squeezing Luffy's hand harshly in her fury, "He was the Captain of the Arlong Pirates." She said, "But he wasn't kind like you say Red-Haired Shanks was. He was a cruel monster." She hissed venomously.

Luffy brushed her hair back, "What happened?" His navigator was literally trembling in fury, tears pouring from her eyes. He tightened his grip on her, trying to provide some meager comfort.

She sagged and sobbed into his chest, "He…he…he came to the Conomi Islands and took over the entire island chain! He told us that if we wanted to live, that every single person there had to pay for our lives." He sat up, bringing her with him. She was now straddling him, her head nestled in the crook of his neck. Their arms were around each other, "Every adult had to pay 100,000 Beli to live…every single month! And every child had to pay 50,000!" She felt Luffy completely stiffen underneath her.

She pulled away to look at him and predictably, his face looked thunderous. She sighed, and steeled herself for what came next, "Bell-mère didn't have enough for the three of us…she only had 100,000." She whispered, tears dropping from her eyes, "Arlong didn't know about either me or Nojiko…we could have been safe… but Bell-mère was never like that. She would never deny us…deny being our mother…" She closed her eyes, "She gave Arlong the 100,000 and told him it was for us." She looked him dead in the eye, "Arlong shot her between the eyes right in front of us."

Luffy was quiet, and Nami knew from the way she started sweating as the room became sweltering that his fury was off the charts. She hugged him, and it did the trick. The heat dipped again, and Nami was very thankful that Luffy had the kind of control he had. She didn't fancy being vaporized, "And then it got worse." His breath hitched, "I attacked him, and he found my maps." She smiled bitterly as she let go of him and gripped the hem of her shirt. Originally she was just going to pull the sleeve back, but with it drenched in sweat she just didn't care anymore. She threw the shirt away, now only in an orange bra, and she took off the bandages covering her left arm.

Luffy zeroed in on her arm, and felt his blood start to boil. She had a tattoo, one of a saw-nosed shark turned to the left with the tail curving inward. The same mark he had glanced at on thi Arlong's bounty poster. It was clearly a Jolly Roger. Luffy's teeth were almost breaking inside his mouth at the sign of another's mark on hisnakama… _his_ Nami. "He kidnapped me because he liked my maps." She said bitterly, "He kidnapped me and forced me to draw maps endlessly for him. Forced me to be around my mother's killer every single day for years. Forced me to HATE MY OWN DREAM!" She clenched her fists, "And he told me…' _If you hand me 100,000,000 Beli, I'll set your town free._ ' So I was forced to work for him. To make money for him. To put a fake smile on my face and pretend to be his friend." She grabbed her arm with her right hand and started clawing down the side of that hideous tattoo so hard she drew blood, "I tried stabbing him. I tried poisoning him. Marines came to try to free us." She began sobbing anew, "Nothing worked. Every time we had hope, it was torn away from us."

Luffy grabbed her hand and stopped her from mutilating herself. His face was absolutely thunderous as he grabbed her bandages and wrapped her arm up. They immediately started turning a little red from blood, "It hurts." She cried, "Having this _fucking_ mark on me BURNS!" She hissed in tearful agony, "Luffy…help me." She pleaded with him.

He leaned back and grabbed onto his hat, before placing it on an absolutely _stunned_ Nami's head. ' _This hat is my treasure! I'll never forgive anyone who messes with it!_ ' Her head dipped and tears streamed down her face once more. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Nami." Luffy said seriously, making her look at him once more. His voice was very controlled, but Nami didn't think for a second that he was okay. The only reason he wasn't just completely exploding was because she was still straddling his lap. His face was dark with rage, "We probably still have a few days to go here on this restaurant." He said.

She nodded, smiling tearfully, "Yeah, he doesn't seem to look like he'll be an easy nut to crack."

Luffy didn't smile back, "As soon as we have our cook, we're sailing for your home." Nami choked back a sob, "We'll get there and I'm going to completely _**destroy this bastard fish.**_ " Nami flung her arms around him and pushed him back onto the bed, bawling freely into his neck, "No one hurts my nakama." Luffy said, tightening his hold on her, "No one hurts _**you.**_ " He said possessively, "I'm going to beat this bastard fish so hard he'll wish he never heard of East Blue. I promise that!"

Nami could do nothing more than weep like a baby. She just didn't stop, allowing all of her rage, hate, and humiliation to seep from her. Because she _knew_. She knew without a shadow of a doubt, that her Luffy would keep his promise. She sobbed for over an hour onto him, all the while he didn't say another word. He didn't need to say another word. The hat on her head and his hand rubbing soothing circles onto her back were enough.

Finally, she pulled back with one last sniffle and hiccup, "Sorry Luffy." She said in embarrassment as she wiped her face, "I got your cardigan and your chest all wet." She blushed.

"It's just a shirt, shishishi!" He laughed as he leaned up long enough to start slipping it off his shoulders. Nami pulled it off of him, moving back and sitting on him. She dried the rest of his chest before hanging the shirt on her bed.

She brought her hands up and touched the brim of the hat for a moment, before slipping it off her head and hanging it off the bed as well. She looked at him with a small smile, "Stay the night?"

"Sure." He pulled her back on top of him. She moved so she was half straddling him, her left leg and arm on top of him while he held her shapely form close with his left arm, "Good night Nami." He said, smiling down at her.

She didn't say it back yet. She looked at him, into his eyes. She smiled and her left hand – which had been tracing small circles on his muscular chest – trailed upward. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled while moving up herself. They both closed their eyes and enjoyed the kiss, Luffy squeezing her closer to him. She was just too exhausted from the day's training and the rollercoaster of emotions. She settled down and snuggled into him. "Good night Luffy…" She whispered, before falling asleep with a smile on her face.

 **-]|[-**

Two days had already passed, and the Straw Hat crew was once again on the _Baratie_ after a morning of intense training. Luffy had started teaching Nami **Geppo** , and she was really taking to the three movement-based **Rokushiki** skills like a fish took to water. They almost seemed to be perfect for her. Luffy had also started her on some strength training, though she focused more on her legs and core than anything upper body. Earlier, she had started doing some squats with some of Zoro's smaller – relative. Very relative – weights and the sight of her made Luffy feel very hot and sweaty. Which was strange since Luffy never felt that way anymore since eating his Devil Fruit.

So they had been inside the restaurant enjoying a well-earned, delicious meal cooked by Sanji when a scream ruined the atmosphere of the place, "IT'S DON KRIEG'S PIRATE SHIP!" A terrified guest yelled.

Another was staring out the window in terror, "A skull with two hourglasses to either side…to threaten their enemies… THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT! THAT'S KRIEG'S FLAG! WHY IS HE HERE?!"

Pandemonium erupted in the ship, as a pale Patty stood there trembling with his head in his hands, "Come on…it was just a light tap…he would have gotten worse in a bar fight…he can't be coming here to kill me right?"

"Are you happy Patty?!" Another chef asked hysterically, "Aren't you so glad you messed with him! Well? Are you going to chase him off, mister tough guy?!"

Usopp looked like he was panicking, "This is real bad! Shouldn't we set sail and get out of here?"

"That's a pretty huge ship." Luffy said in excitement. He, Zoro, and Nami were completely ignoring Usopp. Nami looked a little nervous, but she wasn't backing away in the slightest. "You think Gin came back to repay his debt?"

"I doubt it." Sanji took a drag from his cig, "But it's strange…" They all gazed as the ship came into full view and they could make out details, "That ship is in complete shambles. What manner of hurricane did they sail into?" Indeed, the giant Galleon was a complete mess. The sails were torn and ripped. The figurehead of a snarling saber-toothed cat had a huge chunk of it torn off. The main mast was off kilter roughly fifty feet up, the wood barely staying together. All in all, it just looked like it had been mauled by a very, _very_ large tiger. "To turn a giant galleon into this state… This certainly isn't the work of humans." Sanji stated ominously.

The door leading into the restaurant slammed open, revealing a large shadow. Everyone's eyes went wide as the shadow came into the light. It was Gin, carefully holding up a much larger man. He was pretty huge and muscular. His hair was greying and he had huge sideburns, with gauze wrapped around his head. He wore a yellow cheetah-print shirt with a fur-lined cape over it, secured to him by a large golden chain. He might have possibly cut an intimidating picture if he wasn't hunched over looking absolutely miserable. Gin was literally having to hold him up, "Pardon the intrusion…" Even his voice sounded weak, "But could I have some food…and water? If it is money you want, I got plenty." Even his voice sounded exhausted and miserable.

"He's starving." Luffy noted.

"Wonder what happened." Sanji looked at the man with understanding eyes.

"…The heck?" Patty asked, "This weak looking guy is Don Krieg?"

Krieg tried to take another step forward, but he just keeled over and fell, unable to stand any longer. "DON KRIEG!" Gin yelled in shock, "Please, save my captain! Get him some food and water! He'll die at this rate!" He looked out onto a sea of faces, searching for some sympathy. But as Zeff wasn't here and Sanji and the Strawhats were to the side, he found none. He had a look of disbelief as no one did a thing.

Patty burst out laughing, "Ahahaha!" He crowed, "This is just perfect! This is what the infamous Don Krieg looks like!?"

Gin looked absolutely enraged, "WE'RE PAYING CUSTOMERS THIS TIME!" He roared out. "WE HAVE MONEY! PLENTY OF IT!"

"You there! Call the Marines! They won't get another chance like this!" Patty said, ignoring the furious man, "Don't let him get a single scrap of food!"

Most of the guests were in agreement, "That's right! This is punishment for all the crimes he's committed! It's only right that he should die after all that he's done!"

One of the chefs was sweating, "If we feed him, it's obvious that he'll just attack the ship! I ain't giving him a single damn drop of water!"

"I won't do anything!" Krieg croaked, "If you give me food, I promise I'll quietly withdraw… Please…help me!" He was bowing, on his knees.

"Don Krieg!" Gin had tears in his eyes, "Stop! Don't do this! A great man like you shouldn't be lowering his head! It's too shameful!"

"I'm begging! I don't care if it's scraps or leftovers! I'll eat anything you have to give me! Anything!" Krieg's voice was hoarse and defeated. Tears were leaking from Gin's eyes. Some of the customers were even looking a little doubtful at the display.

Patty was unmoved. He harrumphed, "Trying to earn some sympathy points?"

"Hey, move it Patty." Sanji said, a plate and a bottle of wine in his hands. He twirled in a spin and his foot lashed out. He heel caught Patty square on the cheek, and sent him careening to the floor, seeing stars. "Here Gin. Give him this." The two gaped in astonishment, before Krieg started scarfing down his meal with moans of delight.

"Sanji!" A cook with sunglasses yelled in shock, "Take that food back this instant! Don't you know what kind of guy Krieg is?! He's the ruler of East Blue! The King of Deception! Krieg disguised himself as a Marine after escaping prison and killed the commanding officer of the ship he ended up stealing! He's attacked peaceful ports and towns, while waving a Marine Flag to fool them! He's waved white flags at his enemies before attacking them when their guards were down! He's scum who will do anything to win! That's how he made it to the top! His strength ain't no exaggeration either! You really think he'll leave after you feed him?! That's impossible for a man like him! Letting a demon like him starve is good for the world!"

And like a prophet speaking, his words proved true. Krieg gulped down the last of his food and clenched his fists in triumph. With a roar, he threw a fist forward and sent Sanji flying. Almost everyone in the restaurant dropped their jaws in horror, "Don Krieg!" Gin yelled hysterically, "This isn't what you promised! I guided you here because you swore you wouldn't harm anyone! That man is our savior!" Don Krieg's comparatively massive hand grabbed onto his shoulder and tightened like a vice, "GAHHH!" Gin screamed in pain!

"Ah, that felt great." Krieg said, "I feel like I'm back to my normal self." He grinned.

Sanji sat up, bleeding slightly but not all that hurt. He was smirking lightly, "So…the snake bears his fangs at last."

Krieg cracked his neck and looked around, "Nice ship." He commented, "I'll take it."

The cook who had ranted at Sanji was sweating "I told you…" He said lowly, miserably, "THIS IS THE REAL KRIEG! HE'LL TAKE OVER THIS SHIP!"

The guests panicked and ran from the ship in droves, practically diving onto the ferry nearby. When the last person was on, the ferry raced away without as much as a backwards glance.

"Don Krieg!" Gin hissed, clutching his throbbing arm, "What about your promise!"

Krieg didn't even spare him a glance, "My ship's all torn up." He said lightly, "I'll be needing a new one, so after my business with you all is finished, I'll let you all leave." Not that anyone there actually believed his words. Krieg had already proven himself to be untrustworthy, "I have a hundred subordinates left on my ship, and they're all starving. You all will prepare enough food to feed them." He had a mean, evil glint in his eye as he stared at the cooks, before barking when it became clear that none of them were jumping to follow his orders, "Well?! Make it quick! Some of them have already starved to death!"

The cook with sunglasses grit his teeth, "Feed a hundred men who are only going to attack us once we do so? You must be out of your mind! We refuse!"

Krieg looked half amused, half enraged, "You seem to be under the mistaken impression that it was a request." He said darkly, causing many cooks to cringe, "I gave an order, and no one disobeys my orders!"

"I…I'm sorry Sanji!" Gin yelled, "I never intended this!"

Patty growled and whirled around, "Sanji you shitty cook! This is all your fault! Because of you we're in this mes…WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" He shouted with his eyes popping out of his head as he watched Sanji walk away.

Sanji turned back with a raised eyebrow, "Where am I going? Isn't it clear? I'm going to the kitchen. I have a hundred meals to prepare."

Most people still in the restaurant cringed and jawdropped. Krieg smirked, "Smart man."

The cooks ran and surrounded Sanji, "Like hell you will!" The all pulled guns out and aimed them straight for Sanji's head. "Are you Krieg's secret agent Sanji? Is that why you're doing this?! You're not taking a fucking step into that kitchen!"

Sanji didn't look shaken in the slightest, "Go ahead and shoot then." He said blandly. The cooks recoiled, some even jerking their guns back, "You think I don't know full well that they're scum?" He scoffed, "None of that matters. Thinking of the consequences is too much of a hassle. If I see someone starving in front of me, then it is my sworn duty as a cook to feed them! So if you want to stop me then you better pull those triggers! If not, save them for Krieg's grunts." He took a drag from his smoke, "I feed hungry men. I don't care about what happens to them after that. If they then decide to bite the hand that fed them I'll kill them myself."

The cook's awe of his words died away when Patty smashed him in the back of the head. Luffy scowled, "What's this idiot doing hurting my cook?" He muttered.

Patty yelled, "Hold this idiot down!" He turned to Sanji, holding a long rectangular thing wrapped in white blankets, "I know full well that you've fed the people I've turned away! I've ignored all of that, because I can't say who was right and who was wrong! But this time you're definitely in the wrong! I'll protect this place my own damn self." He lifted his package and tore away the wrapping, revealing a huge, lobster shaped thing with a huge bore in its mouth, "Luckily we only have Krieg himself to deal with! He can't mess with all of us!" He lifted the cannon and took aim, "This is the _Baratie_! We have pirates coming here looking to make a mess every day! We're more than prepared to deal with your sort!" Krieg looked completely unimpressed, "Since you enjoyed your meal so much, how about some dessert, Krieg?! **Indigestion Meatball Special**!" He roared and fired a large cannonball directly at Krieg.

It hit Krieg and engulfed him in a massive explosion, "DON!" Gin yelled in shock as his Captain was blown through the doors and out of the restaurant.

Patty frowned, "Ah damn it. I blew the doors out. The owner's going to have my head for this…"

"It's fine Patty." The cook with glasses said, "It was collateral damage from defending this place. Chef Zeff will understand."

"And what will you do with his underlings?" Sanji asked from his position on the floor?

The cooks didn't get a chance to answer, "That dessert tasted like shit." Krieg walked back in, not even scuffed up. He was wearing golden-colored armor that covered his entire upper body. How the hell did he hide that with his shirt? "You shitty cooks…this is the worst restaurant I've ever been to."

Patty cringed away, before they all grabbed gigantic kitchen-implement-styled weapons, "Get him!"

"ANNOYING LITTLE SHITS!" Krieg roared, before he pulled out two pistols and ten more came out of various parts of his armor. He immediately started firing, knocking all the cooks away at once. As all the cooks collapsed – their bodies riddled with holes from the bullets – Krieg roared, "You insignificant worms think you can defy me! I'm the strongest! This steel arm, more powerful than any other! This unbreakable armor made of Wootz Steel! These diamond fists which can pulverize anything! My entire body is a finely tuned weapon! I'm the Fleet Admiral of fifty ships and five thousand men! I've won every batt-"

"Oh shut up already." Dead silence. Krieg turned mechanically to Luffy, rage literally pouring from him, "Who cares about your fancy toys?" Luffy laughed, "You aren't the strongest of anything."

"What was that, you damn brat?" Krieg growled out through gritted teeth.

"Did I stutter?" He asked quizzically before turning to Nami, "I didn't stutter did I?"

Nami started to giggle. Seeing Krieg for real put any nervousness from her mind. Any man who had to rant like that and cover himself in 'unbreakable' armor clearly couldn't be all that strong. Besides, his legs were uncovered! What manner of idiot wore body armor and didn't cover their legs at all?! His pants weren't even made of hide! "No Captain, I don't believe you did."

Krieg calmed himself, "You stupid little brat." He would have said more, but a giant sack landed in front of him, "What's this?"

"Owner Zeff!" The cooks shouted in shock.

"Food for a hundred men." Zeff said lazily, "Hurry up and bring it to your men."

Krieg looked like he was sweating, "Did…did they say 'Zeff?'"

"Sir! How could you give them that food! Once they recover they're going to be gunning for the ship!"

Zeff had a smirk on his face, "Oh they will, will they?" Krieg's face darkened, "That's only if they have any fighting spirit left in them…isn't that right, Grand Line dropouts?"

The cooks recoiled, "Even Don Krieg couldn't make it?!" They screeched, "The strongest of the East Blue were defeated by the Grand Line!" Gin was holding his face with his hands and almost sobbing.

Krieg was still looking like he'd seen a ghost, "Y…you're 'Red Leg' Zeff!" Krieg stared at Zeff like he was a treasure, "The peerless cook and Captain…so you were alive."

"So what? My being alive has nothing to do with you. As you can see, I'm a cook full time now." Zeff replied.

Krieg chuckled, "A cook full time? That's an interesting way to put it. More appropriate would be to say you can do nothing else now." He laughed darkly, "To hear of Red Leg Zeff is to hear of the man who could kick so hard his shoes would be dyed red with the blood of his enemies… the man who could break cliffs with only his legs and leave imprints of his shoes on steel! The man who would never use his hands in a fight! You're a laughable nobody now! Full time cook! HA! More like you can never put your red shoes back on! You're a cook now because it's the only thing you can do!" He grinned, "I heard you died in a shipwreck. It seems you managed to survive, though it cost you one of your precious legs. With it gone, you can't fight anymore."

Sanji looked like he wanted to go tear Krieg apart. He looked utterly furious. Zeff was uncaring as he held up his hands, "As long as I have these hands, it doesn't matter if I can fight or not. I can still cook." He dropped them back to his side. "So are you going to get to the point, or are you going to continue blathering?"

"Red Leg Zeff! The man who once braved the waters of the Devil's Hideout! The Grand Line! You not only sailed those waters, but you returned without injury! You must have kept a log of your voyage! HAND IT OVER!"

Luffy had stars in his eyes, "Oooohhhh! You've been to the Grand Line old man?"

"I have." Zeff said, "And you're right that I kept a log. Indeed, I still have it to this day. But I shan't be handing it to the likes of you. That logbook is the pride of me and my crew. It's much too valuable to give to a weakling like you."

"WEAKLING?!" Krieg roared, "I CAN THROW BATTLESHIPS WITH MY BARE HANDS! HOW IS THAT WEAK?!"

"There's no sense explaining it to an idiot." Zeff smirked at him without a care in the world.

"THEN I SHALL TAKE IT FROM YOUR CORPSE, OLD MAN!" He clenched his fist in front of him "It's true that I came back defeated from the Grand Line, but even so, I'm still the mighty Don Krieg!" He growled out, taking a step forward. Zeff didn't flinch whatsoever, "That dark sea which sends weak men to their knees…I had the power! I had the ambition! I had the manpower!" He ranted, "I only lacked information! It was my only flaw! That is why I'll take that logbook from you! Once I have it, I'll reassemble my crew and conquer the Grand Line! I'll find One Piece and become the Pirate King!"

"Hold it right there asshole!" Krieg stiffened, enraged once more as he turned to Luffy, "There's only room for one Pirate King, and that's going to be me." The rest of the cooks – well, almost all of them – dropped their jaws and backed away from him, afraid that Krieg would charge.

Krieg eyed him, looking like he had something rank in his nose, "I'll let that comment slide, you dumb brat."

"Of course you will, coward." Luffy said in amusement, "Your guns are empty." Krieg stiffened, "And it doesn't look like you're man enough to fight without your little toys."

"You planning to rumble, Luffy?" Zoro had _Wado_ over his shoulder, "Want a hand?"

Krieg started to laugh, "That's your crew? Two kids and a little girl? Don't make me laugh."

"Him as well." Luffy said, jerking a thumb towards Sanji, who immediately yelled at him, "So that's five."

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Krieg finally bellowed, "MY ENTIRE CREW OF FIVE THOUSAND MEN WERE WIPED OUT ON THAT HELLISH SEA! ALL BECAUSE WE LAC-"

"What does it matter if you had five thousand men?" Nami said in amusement, forcing him to swallow his tongue in shock. She draped herself over Luffy's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him from behind. He grinned in pleasure as Sanji looked on, crestfallen, "You could have had five million men and it wouldn't have made a difference if they were all weaklings." The room watched in stunned silence as Krieg turned purple in rage, "Five thousand and all you have left are one hundred. Man they must have sucked." She pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out, "Of course, with an idiot like you for a Captain, it's a miracle you even have a hundred left."

"YOU LITTLE SLUT!" Krieg screamed as he pulled out a gun, forgetting that it was empty, "WE'LL SEE HOW MUCH OF A BITCH YOU CAN BE WHEN I HAVE YOU SCREAMING UNDER ME!"

Not a single person in that restaurant other than Zeff saw what happened next. One moment Krieg was pulling the trigger on his empty gun, and the next he was flying out the door with the front section of his armor completely shattered. He flew backwards, breaking the railing and continuing through his flagship. The impact was so hard that the entire massive Galleon rocked back, sailing backwards and almost capsizing entirely. Before it settled down and drifted back to where it had been moored, one of its anchor snapped entirely and the chain dropped to the ocean floor, never to be brought back up.

"Fast." Zeff looked vaguely impressed as Luffy put his leg down, standing in front of where Krieg's outline could still be seen. The entire Strawhat crew had massive scowls on their faces. The rest of the cooks – even Sanji – as well as Gin were twitchy and gaping with their eyes popping out of their heads.

Nami came up behind him and gave him a peck on the cheek, "Thanks Luffy…though I kinda wanted to do that myself." She scowled at the Galleon. He smirked at her, delighted at her words, before turning back.

Luffy grabbed the bag of food before vanishing. He appeared on top of the Galleon, where Krieg was laying, groaning in pain. The entire front of his armor had shattered into dozens of pieces and it was crumbling from his form. So much for unbreakable. He put the bag down, "Feed your crew, asshole!" Krieg growled and – body trembling – made his way to his feet, "It'll be more fun to crush you at your best." He vanished again, leaving Krieg there trying to keep his armor together.

Krieg grit his teeth before barking out orders, "Eat! We're taking over this ship when you're done!" The smell had revived his crew, and they all flooded – and by flooded he meant crawled – to the bag. Krieg meanwhile went inside the ship. Clearly his armor had been damaged in the Grand Line. Yeah, that had to be it. It must have already been weakened from those seven hellish days. It was a good thing he had a spare. He would have to buy a new one though. He didn't like the un-gilded look of his spare set.

Luffy appeared back inside the Baratie and almost everyone there looked at him like he was a ghost. Gin almost looked like he wanted to attack him for hitting his Captain, but knew Krieg would want him untouched so he could beat him himself. He grit his teeth and bowed, "I'm so sorry Sanji! I never intended this! I had no idea this would happen!"

"There's no need to apologize, kid." Zeff said softly, "Every cook on this ship did what they thought was right."

"OWNER ZEFF!" The cooks yelled, "How could you side with Sanji! What's the meaning of this! It's his fault we're going to be attacked!" One of them turned to Sanji and started screaming in his face, "Was this your plan all along Sanji?! Was this how you wanted to become the Head Chef! Or have you just completely lost your sense! Huh? Which is it?"

And then Zeff spoke, "SHUT UP YOU STUPID EGGPLANTS!" The cooks cringed back, looking wide-eyed at Zeff. Sanji's head dipped, his face shadowed before the light of a match illuminated his face momentarily, "Do ANY of you know what it feels like to starve? Do any of you know what it feels like to be so hungry you beg for death?!" They all looked at him, lost and shocked, "Not one of you numbskulls know how terrifying and painful it is to be lost at sea with no food and water! The difference between you and Sanji is that _**he knows!**_ " The cooks turned to an uncaring Sanji, shock plain in their gazes. Zeff scoffed, "There's no use crying over spilt milk. If you want to leave, there's the door."

The cooks all hardened their gazes and gripped tightly onto their comically-enlarged kitchen implements of doom, "I'm stayin right here. I couldn't live with myself if I left without a fight." Patty said.

"Same here. I live and work in this place. Ain't nowhere for me to go."

"What are you all doing?!" Gin yelled hysterically, "Haven't you all realized how strong Don Krieg is already? You're all going to die!"

"I told you didn't I?" Sanji stared at Gin, "As a cook, my duty is to feed starving people. The ones coming to attack will all be fed." He stared at Gin blandly, "So you better not complain when I kill them." His face was dark and shadowed, "If someone's coming to steal this ship, then I'll kill them myself…even if that someone is you. Got that?" Gin stared at him in shock.

"Hmph." Patty said, slinging his giant fork onto his shoulder, "You save em only to kill em afterwards? What a guy."

"Shut up, shitty cook." Sanji said.

"Hey Gin!" Luffy called out, "You guys have been on the Grand Line right?"

Gin cringed, going back to holding his head, "Seven days…for seven days we sailed aimlessly. I still don't know if I was actually awake for any of it or if it was just one giant nightmare. Then on the seventh day _he_ appeared."

"He?" Sanji looked curious.

"To think the entire fifty-ship Krieg Fleet…it was ALL sunk by one man!" Now that got most of the ship to recoil in shock.

"Impossible!" Sanji and Patty looked completely terrified of the thought. "The entire fleet was crushed by one man?!" Even Nami and Zoro looked unsettled.

Gin continued on, "While we still had no idea what was going on, he started sinking our ships one by one! If it wasn't for a freak storm that picked up our ship and hauled it away, even the Flagship of the Krieg Fleet would have been sunk! I have no idea if anyone else got away!"

Luffy whistled, "Man, you guys have some shitty luck." Gin whirled around to stare at him, dumbfounded. Luffy didn't sound surprised in the slightest. Hell, he was picking his damn nose! "So, who'd you run into? I can think of a few guys who could do that…like Grandpa." He shivered. Everyone except Zeff, Nami, and Zoro _cringed_.

"GRANDPA?" Even Zeff looked unsettled at that. "Who's your grandpa, kid?"

"Garp." Nami said, and even Zeff choked, "Yes, _that_ Garp." She had a massive grin on her face as she stared at the sea of dumbfounded faces.

Gin shook his head, before continuing his story in misery, "I don't know his name…but he was the most terrifying man I've ever come across!" He closed his eyes, "I see him still, with his terrifying gaze! I want it to go away! I don't want to think about that ' _Hawk-Eyed_ ' man anymore!"

Zoro stiffened and broke into a sweat. Zeff crossed his arms, "Then it was _his_ work for sure." Gin lifted his head and stared, "Simply calling him 'Hawk-Eyed' is no proof that it was him…but his handiwork proves it for you. The fact that he sunk your entire fleet is proof enough!"

"Who is he?" Usopp asked curiously.

"Hawk-Eyes Mihawk." Zero stated seriously, "The man I've been looking for all this time."

"Eh? Hawk-Eyes?" One of the cooks said, "Don't know nothing about no 'Hawk-Eyes,' but that reminds me of good old Red-Eyes." He laughed, "He came here often, and got so drunk his eyes went completely bloodshot. He went and caught himself on fire and died. Man those flames were pretty."

Zoro was shooting a death glare at Johnny, "So, ' _the 'Hawk eyed' man I'm looking for shows up here_ ,' huh?" Johnny cringed back, sweating profusely.

"So, why did he attack you?" Sanji asked, "Did he bear you some grudge?"

"No!" Gin yelled hoarsely, "He attacked out of nowhere, for no reason!"

"Perhaps you disturbed his afternoon nap?" Zeff mused aloud.

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Gin roared, "He destroyed our entire fleet for that?!"

Zeff snorted, "That's the kind of place the Grand Line is. Besides, it was just an example. No need to get all irritated."

Luffy was grinning madly, "Sounds fun. Shishishi! We definitely have to go there!"

"Could you at least pretend to be scared like the rest of us!" Usopp was predictably ignored.

Zoro was grinning, "Looks like I made the right decision, huh Luffy? My own goals lie in the path of yours."

Sanji turned away, "…Bunch of idiots." He deadpanned, "You're the type to rush to your deaths."

"True." Zoro said easily, "But leave out the 'idiot' part." He cast his gaze to the blonde chef, "Ever since I decided I would become the Greatest Swordsman in the World, I cast away any attachment to life. The only one who can call me an idiot is me."

Luffy grinned, "Same here."

Nami's head dipped and she smiled softly, gripping Luffy's hand with her own, "Ditto."

Usopp crossed his arms, "As a man, I must say the same." Zoro knocked his blade's pommel into his head for the clear lie.

Zeff finally had an expression on his face other than seriousness. He was smirking broadly, looking at the small crew.

Outside, the surviving members of the Krieg Pirates were gorging themselves happily, enjoying the feeling of strength returning to their bodies. "WE'RE SAVED!" They cheered, "We're alive! It's like a dream! We finally escaped that nightmare! The ' _Pirate's Graveyard_!'"

"That's right!" Krieg was sitting smugly, back in his backup set of un-gilded steel armor, "And we'll sail right back to the Grand Line soon." The crew froze and stiffened up, looking at him as though he were a ghost, "What's with those expressions?" His smirk had vanished.

"W…we're going BACK there?" A hapless pirate asked in terror.

His answer was a bullet to the head. "Any others disagree as well? Hmm?" The pirates plastered on fake looks of excitement and started cheering. Krieg returned to smirking, "First we'll lose this destroyed ship and seize this restaurant." He told his crew, "Your enemies are a bunch of shitty cooks, so there should be no issues."

Inside, one cook yelled, "Brace yourselves! I can hear them coming!"

But they didn't come. Zeff stiffened up, an expression of shock on his face. Seconds later, the massive Galleon _split into three pieces._ The sea surged and roiled as water started rushing into the breeched hull. The cuts were utterly perfect. Not a splinter was visible. "DON KRIEG! OUR SHIP'S BEEN CUT!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN IT'S BEEN CUT? HOW DOES A HUGE GALLEON GET CUT?!"

The _Baratie_ shook and rode the waves caused by the massive ship starting to sink. And this time, there was not a single eye in the restaurant that wasn't wide open, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

"HOIST THE ANCHOR!" Zeff roared in panic. He really didn't want his ship sunk and unlike with Krieg, he couldn't actually do anything about this.

"OH NO! THE _GOING MERRY_!" Nami screeched, before grabbing Johnny and Yosaku and pulling them out of the ship as fast as she could onto their ship. Luckily, she was able to get the ship to settle down, before taking it a bit further out from the sinking wreck. Leaving the two idiots behind, she utilized **Geppo** and **Soru** to get back to Luffy's side, "She's safe." She smiled weakly.

"Good job Nami." He pulled her to him in a hug. They both blinked as they watched Zoro walking forward as if in a trance, as the ship settled down. The all ran outside, to watch what was happening.

The idiot duo had managed to swim back to the _Baratie_. It was a miracle they weren't pulled under. They were waterlogged as they climbed back onto the deck, and as they were catching their breath, they heard Zeff's own breath hitch, "That…that man!"

"IT'S HIM! DON KRIEG! IT'S THE MAN WHO SUNK OUR SHIPS! HE FOLLOWED US ALL THE WAY HERE! HE'S COME TO KILL US ALL!"

Zoro stared at the incoming man in shock. Shock, terror, and excitement. His heart was absolutely hammering inside his chest. The ship sailing towards them could barely be called a ship. Hell, it could barely be called a dinghy. It looked like a coffin. A large coffin, but a coffin nonetheless. On the edges were candles that burned with green fire, and the mast resembled an ornate cross. But that wasn't what most paid attention to…

No, their focus was solely on the man sitting with his legs crossed on the only seat on the Coffin Boat. It was a black haired man, with piercing yellow eyes. He had a short beard, mustache, and sideburns, all of which pointed upward. He wore no shirt, opting instead for an open, long black coat. It was red on the inside, with red sleeves and his collar decorated with flower patterns. His pants were a light purple, tucked into strapped boots. He had a large, wide-brimmed, plumed hat. A necklace hung around his neck, with a pendant shaped like a large cross. And on his back? On his back was a long, deadly looking black blade whose handle was simply a smaller, more ornate version of the cross that served as the mast for his ship.

"Th…that's the one who sunk Krieg's fleet?" Patty blinked owlishly, "But he looks completely normal. He doesn't even have a special weapon."

"Idiots." Zoro breathed out.

Zeff continued, taking up Zoro's cue, "His weapon is on his back." He said simply.

"What?!" The cook with sunglasses yelled, "He cut that huge ship with that tiny sword?!"

"That man is a renowned swordsman…more renowned than any other…" He said seriously.

"The greatest swordsman in the entire world." Zoro grinned, "Dracule Mihawk!"

One of the terrified Krieg pirates was trembling, "Damn you…what did we ever do to you! WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW US HERE?!"

Mihawk eyed him, expressionless, "Just to kill some time."

The pirate started, rage filling his being, "THAT'S BULLSHIT!" He pulled out his pistols and started unloading in Mihawk's direction.

Mihawk lazily raised his hand and pulled his sword off his back. He directed it towards the man, and the bullets danced around it, changing directions completely and disappearing into the distance. They all gaped, "He deflected it." Zoro was standing there beside the pirates, who jumped in shock. The capsized Galleon had actually formed a decent platform for them to stand on, and Zoro had moved there with an awed grin, "He changed their trajectory with the very tip of his blade. No matter how many times you shoot, the results won't be any different." He eyed Mihawk with anticipation, even as the Krieg pirates freaked out at his presence beside them, "I've never see such graceful movements."

Mihawk eyed him seriously, "A sword without grace is nothing but an iron bar."

Zoro was grinning as he glanced towards the cuts on the ship's sections, "Did you cut this ship with that blade as well?"

"Indeed."

"Then it's true…you really are the greatest in the world…" Zoro had his hand on _Wado_. "I set sail to meet you!"

Mihawk looked unimpressed, "And what is your goal?"

Zoro untied his bandana from his arm and tied it properly to his head, "To surpass you!" He was grinning madly, his heart beating a tattoo into his chest, "You said you're free right? Shall we duel?"

Mihawk's eyes closed for the briefest of moments, before he vanished. Not a single person there saw him move. Not even Luffy or Zeff. He appeared – standing – in front of Zoro, "Pitiful weakling." He said harshly, "If you are a competent swordsman, then you know the difference between us without needing to cross blades." He eyed Zoro uninterestedly, "Yet you still dare challenge me. Is it conviction or ignorance that fuels you?"

"Neither." Zoro said, _Wado_ between his teeth and his other two, unnamed blades in his hands, "My ambition fuels me, and my promise to my departed friend." He prepared himself, while Mihawk stood there with his arms crossed, "To be honest, I never imagined I would find you so soon."

"That is not to your favor." Mihawk replied. He reached up and took off his necklace, before unsheathing a tiny kogatana that was hidden inside it.

Zoro's eyes widened, before they narrowed, "And just what are you planning on doing with that?"

Mihawk held his tiny knife in a ready grip, "I am not the kind of brute who would hunt a rabbit with a cannon. Though you may be a swordsman of some renown, this is the East Blue. Of the Four Seas divided by the Red Line and the Grand Line, this is by far the weakest of them all." He bent his head to the side and held the blade in a 'go-figure' position with an apologetic look to him, "I apologize though. Unfortunately, I have no knife smaller than this on me."

Zoro clenched his jaw, "There's a limit…TO HOW MUCH YOU CAN UNDERESTIMATE ME!" He roared, and charged forward, "Don't regret it when you die! ONI…!"

"Hear me, little frog in his well…you're but someone who has yet to experience the _real_ world." Mihawk said, not even flinching at Zoro's headlong charge.

"GIRI!" Zoro roared, his three blades aiming to carve Mihawk into three pieces. CHINK. Jaws all over dropped as Mihawk's tiny knife – it honestly could have been an oversized toothpick for how large it was – impacted the attack in the exact place the three blades were crossed. Zoro's forward momentum was completely halted, and no matter how much of his absurd strength he put into it, he couldn't even get the knife to _budge a centimeter_. His own blades were trembling from his exertions, even as his muscles bulged in effort. Mihawk's single arm didn't waver in the slightest. A yawn wouldn't have been out of place.

Johnny and Yosaku were trembling and terrified, "Zoro-aniki's Oni Giri was stopped! It's never failed before! NOT ONCE!" Luffy and Nami had their jaws set, while Usopp joined most of the rest in gaping hysterically.

' _I...I can't move…_ ' Zoro though. A bead of sweat dripped down his chin, ' _Not a single man has ever seen through this attack! Not one! How is he stopping it with that TOY?!_ ' He stared at Mihawk's expressionless face, his piercing eyes practically boring a hole through his spirit, ' _THIS IS RIDICULOUS!_ ' Zoro backed up and charged again, swinging wildly, ' _THE WORLD CAN'T BE THIS FAR AWAY!_ ' No matter how fast or hard Zoro swung his three blades, the results were the same. Mihawk's toy parried every single strike as easily as a normal man would flip his newspaper. Finally, a harder push from Mihawk knocked Zoro ass-over-teakettle and to the floor, ' _There shouldn't be such a vast difference between us! There can't be!'_ He got up and charged again, _'I trained too hard to be defeated by a TOY!_ ' Memories of every fight with Kuina; every bit of training he did; being given _Wado Ichimonji_ by a proud sensei; his harsh training with Luffy and the rest of his crew... all of those thoughts flashed through his mind as he attacked madly, without direction.

"Such ferocity." Mihawk commented blankly. He was disappointed. He truly was. The man he was facing had completely lost himself, and was giving an even poorer showing than Mihawk had thought he would.

Zoro panted for a moment, before readying another charge. Mihawk danced around the blade and readied an axe-hand. His hand snapped forward and caught Zoro right on the back of the neck, sending him crashing to the floor, "What burdens you so, weakling? What do you desire at the extent of your strength?"

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ANIKI A WEAKLING!" Johnny screamed, drawing his dadao.

"We'll teach you a lesson!" Yosaku roared in response, drawing his as well.

"SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" The uncharacteristic furious roar from Luffy – as well as his now-smoking fists – stopped the two in their tracks. They crashed to the floor, groaning in pain.

"But Luffy!" Usopp exclaimed, "Zoro's getting decimated right now! He needs help!"

"Not one of you will move!" He said commandingly, "This is Zoro's dream! This is Zoro's mission! This is why he set sail! Not one of you have a right to take this from him!" Nami eyed him sadly. Luffy was burning with anger. His hands were clenched around the rails, digging into the wood so hard that it was being crushed. Light smoke was wafting from his hands as well as his feet, as his Devil Fruit started burning the wood even at the relatively low temperature he was outputting. She could see the same anger in him that she was feeling, the same desire to go out and help their friend. But she knew he was right. She felt as helpless as she had whenever she thought of Arlong, before she met her Luffy. She clenched her own hands and watched. This was Zoro's dream so they could do nothing to help him. But suddenly, a thought came to her. Maybe they couldn't help him, but maybe she could help him help himself.

Zoro climbed to his feet, having taken yet another tumble. Before he could charge again, a piercing screech rang through the air, "RORONOA ZORO!" Zoro stutter-stepped, before glaring at Nami, "Stop fighting like a fucking enraged idiot!" She screamed at him, "You're better than that and you damn well know it! Stop letting him get in your head! Let him use that stupid toy if he wants to! Prove him wrong and _make_ him draw his sword!" She was looking as angry as he'd ever seen her, and it was all directed at him.

Zoro quit staring at her and let the words echo in his head. For a moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before exhaling. He opened them and his eyes – which had been filled only with blind rage – were sharp again, "Heh, don't tell me what to do, you damn witch."

"Asshole." She smirked, before settling down to watch the fight continue. She gave Luffy's hand a squeeze.

Mihawk eyed him curiously, a ghost of a smile almost appearing. He needed a reaming to do so, but the weakling had calmed himself. Perhaps this would end up being a bit more interesting than he expected. Zoro was smirking around his katana once more, "Sorry about that." He gripped his swords tightly, "I'll try to make this a bit more fun for you!" He held two of swords above his shoulders horizontally, " **Nanajuni Pound Ho**!" He slashed down and two massive air blades flew towards Mihawk.

"Interesting, but not enough." Mihawk said calmly. His own knife danced into the path of the two air blades and redirected them. They flew off to his right and gouged into the already demolished ship. It didn't come anywhere close to cutting through it, but the wood split a good meter through before the attack lost power. The Krieg crew all looked like snot-nosed brats at the sight.

Zoro hadn't lost a step, charging forward before Mihawk had even redirected his attack. He remembered Luffy's words, ' _The world's greatest swordsman? Sounds great! If you can't manage something that small I'd be embarrassed!_ ' Both of his swords were behind the precious one in his mouth, pointing towards the ground, "TORA…!" He reached Mihawk just as his attacks were cutting into the downed ship. "GARI!"

But Mihawk hadn't lost a step, and he was bored of just parrying. "You are stronger than I expected. I had not thought I would meet a man in East Blue capable of projecting an air blade." He stabbed forward, burying his knife into Zoro's ribcage. Blood immediately gushed from the wound, splashing on the deck. It also started leaking from his mouth. His entire crew clenched their teeth and the wooden rail under Luffy's iron grip started blackening. Tears welled in Nami's eyes as she watched the worst happen.

Mihawk paused in interest. Though his knife was buried in Zoro's chest, the man refused to take a step back, "…Do you wish for me to pierce your heart? Why do you not retreat?"

Zoro was panting, "Heh…hell if I know." His jaw clenched around _Wado,_ "But I know…that if I take a single step back…I'd be losing something very important to me." Blood was dribbling down his chin, "A promise or an oath…it would be irreversibly broken, and I could never stand here again."

Mihawk's gaze was as intense as his epitaph suggested, "Yes…that is called defeat."

Zoro laughed painfully, "Yeah…that's why I can't step back."

"Even if it shall mean your death?" Mihawk asked.

"Death would be better!" Zoro said strongly, clearly.

' _What conviction!_ ' Mihawk stepped back, sliding his knife out of Zoro's chest and swinging it. In that one rapid swipe, every single drop of blood flew off and it was as dry as it had been before the fight. His pendant in his left hand was completed once more as the small knife found its home. He secured it to his neck, "Kid…tell me your name."

"Roronoa…Zoro!" Zoro moved his swords so that they were all at angles to each other. They all pointed in different directions, almost like a three-pointed star.

"I shall remember it…" Mihawk said as he reached behind his shoulder and pulled _Yoru_ – the greatest sword in the world –from his back, "For your strength is not often seen in this world." He held his blade in front of him, "And to pay my respect to your skill with your blades and your conviction, I shall end you with this."

' _This is it._ ' Zoro thought calmly, "I appreciate it." His thoughts were serene, completely counter to what was about to doubtlessly be a violent clash, ' _The world's greatest…or death!_ '

"Die!" For the first time in the entire fight, Mihawk moved aggressively. He blasted forward at a blistering speed, as Zoro began spinning the two swords in his hands. Mihawk's eyelids widened while the eyes themselves shrank as he analyzed the technique.

" **Santoryu Ōgi**!" Zoro called out, " **SANZEN SEKAI!** " The sounds of slashes rang through the air as both men stood back to back, their strikes completed. For a moment, nothing happened, before two of Zoro's three swords completely shattered. Blood splashed out of his chest as another cut opened up, ' _I lost._ ' He dropped the two useless handles and pulled _Wado_ from his teeth, blood spilling once more from his mouth. ' _This wasn't something I ever considered possible. So this is what it means to be the strongest in the world?_ ' He sheathed his treasure sword with a click, before turning around and presenting himself, arms held out with Wado clenched in his left fist.

Mihawk started, "What's this?"

"A wound on one's back…" Zoro was grinning, even as blood spilled from between his teeth, "Is a swordsman's shame."

Mihawk _finally_ showed an emotion that wasn't calm, serious boredom, "Splendid!" He said through a wide grin. He slashed down, splitting Zoro open from his left collarbone to his right hipbone. ' _Don't rush to death, young one._ ' Mihawk thought, even as Zoro collapsed backwards into the drink, his prized blade clenched tightly in his fist.

"ZOROOOOOOOO!" Luffy screamed, even as Nami stumbled backwards, holding her mouth with both hands in horror. Tears streamed from her eyes as she watched her friend fall. The temperature became absolutely unbearable as everyone close to him started clenching their throats.

"Idiot!" Sanji roared from a ways away, ' _This damn bastard's out of his mind! The result was obvious against the world's best swordsman!_ ' He screamed out, "IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO DIE, THEN ISN'T IT BETTER TO THROW AWAY YOUR AMBITION?!" His voice rang through the air as Johnny and Yosaku dove after Zoro.

The wood under Luffy's hands cracked and shattered into thousands of pieces as he lunged forward, "YOU BASTARD!" His arms were glowing golden as his Devil Fruit worked overtime. He landed and threw his fist forward, aiming to vaporize Mihawk so that not even his ashes would remain.

A massive blast of solar plasma bigger than the damn galleon had been shot towards the World's Greatest Swordsman, engulfing him in its blaze. It split into two, rocketing outward at sea. Immediately, the wood under their feet steamed as the seawater evaporated and then started smoking before disappearing under the heat. The sea behind Mihawk immediately boiled and sent up a cloud of steam, even as the plasma blast split the sea into three, throwing up masses of rapidly-evaporating water.

Finally, the beam petered off and ended entirely, revealing Mihawk standing there at the head of a 'Y' shaped gouge in the wooden deck of the ship, which was rapidly being covered with water. The section of destroyed deck they were on rocked as the water thrown into the air fell back down. His blade was held in front of him. He wasn't dead, nor was he even smoking. Hell, the greatest swordsman wasn't even sweating. Not even a single feather on his plumed hat was out of place or damaged. "So you're that young man's comrade?" He asked Luffy as if he hadn't just been engulfed by a vaporizingly-hot beam of plasma which had annihilated everything in its path but him, "I thank you for not interfering in our fight. That took much stronger Will than most possess." He eyed the even more furious Luffy, "Fear not, your friend shall live." Luffy gasped, his arms turning back to normal.

Luffy whirled around and watched as the two idiots pulled Zoro above the water, even as he coughed up a mass of blood. "ZORO!" He yelled in joy, a sobbing Nami doing the same from her place on thedinghy they had managed to grab and taken out close to where Zoro had fallen. They managed to get Zoro onto the boat, and his two crewmates immediately set to giving him medication and doing their best to close his wounds, even as Johnny and Yosaku dove to find his sword. "Zoro are you alright!"

"Like hell he'd be alright you idiot!" Nami screamed, "But he's alive and I'll be damned if I don't keep him that way!"

"It is much too soon for you to die." Mihawk yelled out, "My name is Dracule Mihawk! Learn about yourself! Learn about the world! Become strong, Roronoa Zoro!" He had his arms crossed as he looked out at the small boat, "No matter how many years pass, I shall stand at the top of the world and wait for you! So forge ahead with that fierce heart! Surpass my blade! Surpass ME, RORONOA ZORO!" Silence was his answer.

On the _Baratie,_ Zeff was staring at the proceedings in much more profound awe than any of the other people watching, "To think that Dracule Mihawk of all people would be heard saying words like that."

"Boy, what is your goal?" Mihawk directed his attention to Luffy.

"To be the Pirate King!" Luffy faced off with him with the same conviction Zoro had.

Mihawk closed his eyes and gave off a little chuckle, "Then you're an even bigger fool than he is. That's a tougher path than his shall be."

"Don't care." Luffy said, "I _will_ be the Pirate King!"

Mihawk grinned broadly, both at Luffy's words and at what happened next. Zoro lifted his last remaining sword high in the air, pointing it to the sky, "H-hey Luffy! C-can you hear me?"

"Idiot!" Nami said with tears dribbling down her cheeks, "Stop exerting yourself!"

Zoro ignored her as Luffy responded, "Sorry for worrying you… I know that if I don't become the Greatest Swordsman, you'll be embarrassed." He coughed out blood, making Johnny and Yosaku panic, "I swear…that until they day I fight him and win…I'll never lose again!" Mihawk's broad grin widened further, "Until the day I FIGHT HIM AND WIN, I'LL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!" Luffy joined Mihawk in grinning widely, "Any problems with that, PIRATE KING?!"

"Shishishi! Nope!" Luffy relaxed, grinning as he knew his crewmate would be alright. Nami was also smiling tearfully, hiding behind one of her hands.

Sanji stared with an open jaw. Wha…what had just happened? He lost that badly and not only swore to keep going, but had gotten the World's Greatest to practically _endorse_ him on top of it? Unbidden, a dream of a Chef's Paradise rose up in his mind.

With one final smirk, Mihawk turned, "You make a great team. I shall be watching your crew closely." He started walking away.

"Hey, Hawk Eyes!" Krieg called out, Unseen to anyone there, Mihawk couldn't resist rolling his eyes. He turned back, as calm as ever, "You came for my head, didn't you? The head of the infamous Don Krieg."

Mihawk was once again expressionless, "I did." He confirmed, "But I've had my fun for the day. I'm going home."

"You may have had your fun, but I _haven't_!" His crew all started to panic, "HOW ABOUT YOU DIE BEFORE LEAVING?!" His gun chambers on his armor opened up as he pulled out his pistols and he started unloading.

Mihawk closed his eyes in exasperation, "Hmph. Some fools just don't learn." He swung his sword and a massive blast of wind rose up, distracting everyone there. When it died down, neither hide nor hair could be seen of either Mihawk or his boat.

"Tch. He got away." Krieg said as Luffy appeared back on the _Baratie_ , no worse for wear. "Oh well, we were planning on getting rid of our ship anyway, so its destruction is irrelevant." He eyed the floating restaurant and grinned, "Look at that goofy ship. Once it's ours, we won't need to fear the Grand Line at all. It'll be far better than hanging a white flag or pretending to be marines. It'll be the perfect disguise for us. With pirates teeming in every ocean, rebuilding our fleet will be a cakewalk."

"B-but Don! What if we run into another monster like Mihawk when we return to the Grand Line?!"

His answer was also a bullet, "Don't be stupid. Do you really think a human can just cut a giant galleon like that? He's clearly got a Devil Fruit power!" They were out of earshot, so Luffy didn't hear this comment and therefore didn't start taunting Krieg again. "We've only heard legends of Fruit users, but the Grand Line is full of them! Even that dumb brat in the Straw Hat is just another run of the mill guy there! Red Leg Zeff spent a whole year on that sea! He HAD to have found a way to deal with people like them! Once we have his Log, we'll be invincible!"

His crew was reinvigorated, "So that's how it is! Just as expected from the mighty Don Krieg! Once we have that Log we'll get One Piece for sure!"

Sanji lit up another cigarette, "Tch, they're coming. Damn pests just don't know when to quit." He looked around, "Where are Patty and Carne?"

"Getting battle preparations ready." Another cook answered him, "They sure are reliable in times like these."

"Tch." Sanji said, " _Only_ in times like these. Go to the control room and open the fins. The geezer won't shut up if we fight inside."

He didn't have time to say anymore because the pirates all charged, roaring their battle cries. Luffy frowned, "Man, this is going to be so boring." He whined.

Several of the cooks still outside snapped their eyes to him, "What do you mean boring?! That's Don Krieg!"

Luffy ignored them and jumped up into the air, " **Rankyaku**!" He unleashed a sharp blade of wind from his leg which carved into the wooden deck the pirates were running on, splitting it in twain. The deck basically spring-boarded and launched all of Krieg's charging crew flying. Some of them smacked into each other, and all crashed into the sea and sank. Luffy didn't even bother landing, instead jumping up and down on the air with **Geppo** and smirking.

"WHAT KIND OF DEVIL FRUIT IS THAT?!" Krieg and the few crewmembers of his who weren't unconscious screamed in shock.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, "It's not a Devil Fruit! Or at least this isn't!"

"Bullshit!" Krieg roared, "It's a fruit!"

Luffy shrugged his shoulders before letting himself fall, landing on the railing and sitting down, "Believe what you want. It's not like an idiot like you will ever make it anywhere to be proven wrong anyway." Krieg grit his teeth and his armor opened up again, revealing his arsenal of guns. The bullets rocketed forward at Luffy, who merely grinned widely. His right arm flashed dozens of times, moving in a blur. Finally, it stilled, and he held it in front of him. He laughed his ass off at the gaping looks from almost everyone. In between each finger were the bullets Krieg had fired. "Shishishi, not going to work!" As he let the bullets fall uselessly to the ocean floor, his eyes bugged out and turned into stars, "Wooohhhh! AWESOME!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!"

The fish head figurehead had detached itself from the _Baratie,_ and had turned directly at Krieg with its maw open, revealing a triple-barreled cannon. Patty and Carne – the cook with the sunglasses – were peddling madly. Cannonball after cannonball flew forward, missing Krieg by a mile but damaging the destroyed Galleon even more. As they were doing that, the _Baratie's_ 'fins' opened, revealing a collapsible deck which had just been raised. Now they had a good platform for a fight. Sanji grinned, "If you shitty pirates want to fight, then bring it!"

Patty and Carne continued peddling towards Krieg, who stopped it with one hand. Their eyes bulged in shock, "You shitty cooks. I'm Don Krieg! The man who will be the Pirate King!" He roared in exertion as he tossed the small battleship dozens of meters into the air.

"Oi! Stupid Krieg! I already said that will be me!" Luffy shook his fist in Krieg's direction.

Sanji scoffed, "All talk and no substance… Useless bastards." He jumped up and kicked the fish head away and into the water. The Krieg pirates were awed.

"SANJI!" Patty and Carne roared, "YOU TRYING TO KILL YOUR OWN SIDE?!"

Sanji stared at them blankly, "Yeah."

"Did you brains become boiled into stew, you shitty bastard?!" Patty screamed at him, shark teeth and all.

"You almost lost two powerful fighters!" Carne pointed at him angrily.

"Powerful? Hah!" The Krieg Pirates who hadn't already drowned from Luffy's kick managed to climb aboard the deck. All around them, the bodies of the cooks were littered. "Even if you hold weapons, a cook is still a cook. Why don't you run off to some kitchen?"

Another Krieg pirate was smirking viciously, "Don't compare us to whatever loser pirates you've fought before. We're Don Krieg's crew!"

One of the nameless cooks cringed as he got up and started crawling backwards, "These guys are different from the pirates we've been able to beat before! Shit, these guys are strong!"

Patty roared, "Are you going to let yourselves be beaten that easily?! And you call yourselves fighting cooks?!"

"So what if you're fighting cooks? We fight for a living! So just shut up and hand the boat over!"

Patty picked up his giant fork, "Ten years I've been a cook! I've searched through more than three hundred restaurants and have been refused at every one for getting into fights!"

Carne gripped his giant knife, "After searching for years, we ended up here! Fighting or cooking, we can do it to our heart's content! There's nowhere as good as this ship! Like hell we'd give it to you!"

In seconds, the two had run through every single Krieg grunt still alive. Then, they turned as another man joined them. Their eyes widened as he jumped up onto the deck and laid the two out flat in one hit each. The new guy started laughing, "Behold! My invincible iron wall!" He was wearing absolutely stupid-looking attire. He had giant iron plates on both his front and his back, which made him look round. They covered everything from crotch to collar. On his feet, knees, elbows, hands, and head were smaller iron plates, and everything had a brilliant looking pearl in the middle.

The pirates cheered as Pearl started ranting about his attack, and one of them went over to Patty and tried to take his knife. Keyword being tried. No matter how injured, Patty absolutely refused to release his hold on his knife, and the two began to struggle. Sanji's face was shadowed before he blurred, and the cheering pirates were rudely interrupted via his fancy shoes breaking their teeth. Every single one of them flew backwards and crashed into Pearl's armor. "A chef's knife is his soul. It's not something amateurs like you should even _think_ about touching." He handed the knife back to Patty, "Here. I'll handle the rest. Make sure you kick the bucket for good this time."

Pearl started laughing, "Beating them all using only your legs? How lazy. Or maybe that's your policy."

Sanji grinned back, "A chef's hands are his life. I can't risk them in fights. Don't worry. My feet will be more than enough."

"You? Take _me_ down? Don't make me laugh." Pearl started chuckling, "In the past sixty one fights I've been in, I've won them all without a single scratch. You might protect your hands in a fight, but I protect my entire body!" He boasted, "In every single fight I've been in, I've not lost a single drop of blood! Not a _single_ drop! That's proof of my invincible strength! That's why they call me Iron Shield Pearl!" He grinned, his teeth pinging in the light, "Any my iron defense is quite fashionable too!"

"What a dandy…" Nami muttered, having appeared behind Luffy. She pecked him on the cheek, "Zoro will be just fine Luffy. I had them sail further away with the _Going Merry,_ but told them to stay within eyeshot. I don't want Zoro anywhere near this mess."

"Good. Let him rest. We can just **Geppo** there later." Nami took up a position leaning forward on the rail he was sitting on.

"You better pay attention Straw Hat!" Krieg roared, catching their attention. He was swinging a Morningstar around his head, the spiked ball portion of which was at least twice as big as Luffy's head, "DIE!" He threw it at Luffy.

Luffy caught it in one hand, barely paying attention. He was more interested in watching Sanji's fight. He never noticed Krieg's jaw dropping as the spiked ball went from black to white-hot in the blink of an eye and completely melted. The chain flopped uselessly to the ocean, throwing up steam as the white-hot metal boiled the water.

Sanji surged forward and kicked at Pearl's head, but the man simply lifted one of his shields to block it. Sanji's eyes narrowed as he did a back spin kick, knocking that hand way. With his arms, he pushed off the ground and planted both feet cleanly off Pearl's face, knocking him back a couple feet. The Krieg pirates all felt shivers go up their spines as Pearl grimaced and dabbed at his nose, noticing a small streak of red, "B-blood?"

"H-hey! Pearl! It's just a small nosebleed!" One of the Krieg pirates was waving his hands in front of him, "Everyone gets those! Just calm down, Pearl!"

Pearl was staring at the red on his fingers, having broken out into a flop sweat, "M-my blood. My iron wall was broken through! These guys are dangerous."

"The hell is wrong with him?" Nami asked Luffy, "It's just a little nosebleed." Luffy shrugged in response.

Krieg roared at his subordinate, "CALM DOWN PEARL! This isn't the jungle! There's no need to go wild over a damn nosebleed!"

"Danger! I'm in danger! Danger! DANGER!" Pearl was clapping his shields together like that toy monkey with a pair of cymbals. " **DANGER**!" He screamed one last time, before he was engulfed in fire.

"D…did he just light himself on fire?" Nami asked dully. Luffy had practically fallen off the railing, holding his gut as he laughed. The explanation the other Krieg pirates gave – that Pearl grew up in a jungle and had learned to start fires to ward off savage beasts – sent him into hysterics and he actually did fall forward onto the deck. Nami was giggling behind her hand as well.

"DON'T YOU DARE GET CLOSE TO ME!" Pearl screamed hysterically, " **Fire Pearl** **Daitokuten**!" He roared, and flaming balls of fire erupted from him, flinging every which way. Sanji dodged easily, while the one that hit the still-laughing Luffy had no effect whatsoever.

The rest of the cooks and Krieg pirates had to dodge as best they could, "HOT! HOT! HOT! PEARL PLEASE STOP! YOU'RE GOING TO BURN THE SHIP!"

"BURN!" Pearl yelled, "With my fire shield, my iron shield became even more invincible!" Sanji surged forward – ignoring the calls from a hysterical Patty telling him to stop – and jumped into the air, throwing a spinning kick at Pearl which knocked his arm to the side, "WHAT?! How can you approach me?! Even wild beasts won't come near me!"

"Idiot!" Sanji was grinning madly as he charged again, "How could I be a cook if a little fire could scare me?!" He rolled under Pearl's punch and smashed his foot right into the large man's face.

Pearl looked completely hysterical, clutching his bleeding face with tears in his eyes, "M-MY FACE! DANGER! THIS GUY IS DANGEROUS! MORE FIRE! MORE PEARLS!" Fireballs started erupting from him again, at a much higher speed and density than the last time.

They raced for the restaurant, looking to light it ablaze. Zeff stood there without concern, next to Nami. His peg leg rose off the wood and he let out a rapid kick. The sheer wind generated was enough to put out all of the flaming pearls, also stopping all of their forward momentum. They all dropped to the boards with little clinks. "A lost leg or not, I can handle far more than a few little flaming pebbles."

Sanji used Pearl's distraction to nail another hard hit to Pearl's head, knocking him to the ground in a daze. Suddenly, a large cracking sound rang through the air, forcing Sanji to turn. Luffy got up as well, and his eyes narrowed.

Gin was behind Zeff. Or rather, Gin was on top of Zeff, a broken peg leg clattering near his feet. He held a gun in each hand, one pointed at a downed Zeff's head, and the other held right up flush with Nami's temple. "That's enough Sanji! And you too kid!" Both of the men he was speaking to growled, "You want to save this man don't you? And you want to save your crewmate right?! Then get the hell off of this ship!"

Sanji didn't reply to Gin, "Hey geezer! Isn't this a bad example to be setting when we're out here fighting?!"

"Hmph." Zeff said, his tone as even as they'd ever heard it, "I don't need to listen to a little eggplant like you."

"Eggplant?!" Sanji roared, "You can't keep treating me like a little kid forever you shitty old geezer!" Luffy had walked over to him and joined him in staring at Gin, "Gin! Aim that gun at me instead!"

"Then he'll just kill you, you know." Luffy said, arms behind his head. He had looked at Nami's face, and had not seen a trace of fear. She had even winked at him. It made him relax.

"Who cares?" Sanji said, not taking his eyes off Gin.

"Sanji…but why?" Gin asked.

"Gin you cheap, cowardly son of a bitch." Sanji spat at him, "I can't accept your conditions!"

"It's simple Sanji! All you have to do is get off the ship and everyone lives!" Gin yelled back.

"I've already taken everything away from that geezer! His strength! His dreams! I won't let you take away his treasure too!" Sanji roared at him.

Zeff had his eyes closed, "Not the time, you damn pipsqueak." He muttered.

Pearl had gotten up, his head back on straight after Sanji's devastating kick. He growled and charged, swinging at Luffy to take him out before beating Sanji into pulp.

Things did not go _quite_ as planned for the large man, "AARRRRRGHHHHHHHHHH!" Pearl dropped to his knees, screaming himself hoarse as he clutched the cracked, blackened stump that used to be his right arm and shield, "MY ARMMMMMM!" He stared rolling around in pain, only making things worse for the horrendous injury he'd inflicted on himself my trying to hit a pissed off Luffy.

Jaws dropped all over the ship, "I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE KID!" Gin screamed at Luffy his eyes wide.

"I didn't!" Luffy said with a wide, dark grin, "See? Still in the same spot." His eyes were shadowed by his hat, but it did nothing to hide his bared teeth, "Not my fault he tried to hit me."

Gin stared at him in disbelief, incapable of comprehending just how powerful the boy in front of him was. The guns he was pointing trembled for a moment and he broke into a savage sweat.

"Let them go Gin! If you want this ship you'll have to beat me!" Sanji said, his face dark as he started recounting those dark days so long ago. He spoke of how he was a simple cook in training on a passenger vessel. He spoke of how he used to be as a child, one who would chide others for eating leftovers and who would throw out ingredients that even looked like they went bad. He spoke of the legendary sea which had been his dream, and the wonders it held for cooks. And then he spoke of how the Cook Pirates set themselves on the _Orbit,_ the ship he had been on.

" _You must be the Captain of the Cook Pirates. What do you want from us?" The Captain of the_ Orbit _asked a younger Zeff._

" _Money/" Zeff replied easily, "Take all of their valuables, down to the last penny!" The pirates charged forward, ripping pearls off women's necks, and taking everything valuable which wasn't bolted down. Curiously, they didn't harm a single person._

" _Captain!" His first mate yelled, "If we don't get out of here we'll be caught up in this storm as well!" Currently, Sanji was down in the kitchen, scraping together a couple of knives to fight with. Like hell he was going to let himself be killed by these bastard pirates!_

" _Hold on a second." Zeff told one of his crewmates, who stiffened, "What's this?"_

" _I…I'm sorry Captain! I was just a little hung-" He yelled in terror as Zeff advanced on him and kicked him right through the mast._

 _Seconds later, his bleeding skull was clutched in Zeff's grip, "Don't I always tell you all never to touch an enemy's food?!"He blinked as he heard a commotion, turning and seeing a little brat wielding two knives swinging at his crew. He sighed, "If the kid wants to die that badly, then just kill him and be done with it!"_

" _I don't want to die, but you're going to kill us anyway! So I'll kill you before you can kill me!" Sanji screamed. Zeff's kick deposited him into the ground._

" _Damn, look at the Captain go. He won't hold back even against a little brat."_

 _Zeff had his arms crossed as he looked down at the little eggplant gnawing on his leg in exasperation, "I'm not going to die! I'm going to find All Blue one day!" The rest of the pirates started laughing and jeering at the boy, though Zeff's eyes had softened momentarily. Still, he kicked the brat off his leg and into the wall of the cabin. The rain was really coming down extremely hard, and it was getting worse. Still, Sanji yelled, "There's no way I'm going to die to some stupid pirates like you in a place like this!"_

" _Captain!" The first mate yelled, "We have to go! This storm is far worse than we thought!"_

 _Before another word could be said, a gigantic wave engulfed the deck of the ship, grabbing onto Sanji and pulling him from the boat. Zeff's eyes widened, "That stupid brat!" He leapt and kicked right through the mast, sending it and himself into the deep after Sanji. Another wave – an absolutely titanic wave far bigger than the one that had swept Sanji to sea – crashed into the ships, engulfing them entirely. The sounds of cracking and breaking wood was drowned out by the roar of the waves and the howling of the wind._

…

 _A few days later, Sanji woke up to clear blue skies, "So, awake are you, you little eggplant? You're pretty lucky." Zeff's voice startled him. He tried to sit up, before groaning in agony, "Of course you can't move." Zeff scoffed, "Just whose kick do you think you received?"_

 _Sanji groaned, "Where's the ship?"_

" _Who knows." Zeff sighed, "It probably sank, but I can't say for sure. My ship on the other hand…" He looked forlornly at the pieces of wood strewn around the giant rock/plateau in the middle of the ocean they were on, "It definitely sank. I can tell from the wreckage." He closed his eyes, "I can only be thankful that I didn't see any of their bodies." He opened them again, "In any case, it's been two days since the storm. You and I are stuck on this godforsaken rock without a single plant, fruit, or animal to eat." He chuckled darkly, "Of course, there are plenty of fish in the sea, but the waves have carved the walls of this damn rock into sheer cliffs that are impossible to climb back up. In other words, we're stuck here without a way to get any food. Feel free to cry if you wish."_

 _Sanji growled and yelled at him, "Like hell I'm going to cry! This is all your fault you damn geezer!"_

 _Zeff almost smirked, but he held himself, "If you don't shut it, I'll eat you instead," He turned back to the calm ocean waters, "In any case, waiting for help is our only hope now. If we're lucky, we'll be saved tomorrow. If not, only our bones may be waiting here by the time someone shows up." Sanji started, an image of his skeleton filling his mind and terrifying the young boy. Zeff held up two bags of two different sizes, "This is your share, eggplant." He put the smaller bag near Sanji, "This is what little food got washed up on this rock with us. If you eat normally, it'll last you five days. If you're smarter and ration, it should last a fair bit more than that." He said, staring seriously at the boy, "Good thing we're both chefs."_

 _Sanji pointed a finger at him angrily, "Why the hell is your bag bigger?!"_

" _I'm an adult you dumb little eggplant. Clearly I'll need more to eat than you." He put his boot on Sanji's head, "That's how it is, brat. Let's try to get along until we're saved."_

" _You damn geezer!" Sanji yelled._

" _You should consider me nice for even giving you food in the first place! Don't expect me to be any nicer than that! Now stay on this side of the rock and don't bother me unless help comes! I'll be on the other side of this rock doing the same!" He left Sanji clutching his bag of food, "Pray for luck."_

 _Sanji sat there, alternating staring at the sun's reflection on the waves and at his bag of food. Occasionally, he reached a hand for the bag before recoiling, remembering Zeff's words. Finally, he wrapped his arms around his knees and buried his head in between them, "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" He sobbed._

 _On the other side of the rock, Zeff had a large stick in his mouth. He held a large rock above his head, with his right leg extended and straight, with a rope tied around it. He was sweating profusely as he bit into the thick wood, '_ So this is where…even my red leg will meet its end! _' He brought the rock down, again and again just below the knee, until the bone was broken through and the leg came off entirely. Only the stick he was starting to chew through kept his screams from ringing through the air._

…

 _Sanji was sifting through all of the food items inside his small bag, "That damn geezer. Like hell I'd let him know if I see a ship! He can go to hell for all I care! I'll survive on my own!" he stared at the sea, "I can see so far away! I have no doubt I'll see at least one to two ships in the next five days! Besides, none of this wreckage is from the_ Orbit _so they'll no doubt pass by searching for me!" He organized all of the food items and started thinking, "This will last me five days, but it'll be better to think of the worst case scenario. Plus, there's plenty of rainwater collected on this rock, so thirst won't be a problem! I'll have to make it last for twenty! If I can survive for twenty days, I'll be rescued for sure!"_

 _He started nibbling on a piece of bread, and finished it quickly. But his stomach was still growling as he pulled his head out of the small pool of fresh water, "Maybe…" he looked at the bag of food, before shaking his head, "No! It hasn't even been the first day yet! It has to last twenty days no matter what!" He started punching himself in the stomach, "Damn it! Stop growling!"_

 _The first day ended, without a ship in sight. On the fifth day, another storm passed by, dropping gallons of rain onto the island. He was glad he had managed to create a small shelter out of the broken pieces of ship strewn about. He was able to keep his food dry because of it. Suddenly, he spotted a ship. He sprang up in elation, waving his arms and shouting at the top of his lungs, but they were too far way to hear through the storm. He set about trying to light a fire, but the wood was too wet to catch. Sanji's yells turned hoarse and large tears dribbled from his eyes as she sobbed, watching salvation sail away._

 _On the twenty-fifth day, Sanji looked tired, unhealthy, and skinny. There were bags under his eyes and scratches all over him as he held his last piece of moldy bread. He eyed it as if it was the most delicious thing on earth, remembering all the times he had thrown food away because they were leftovers, or because they looked a little bad. He became so angry and frustrated with the boy he had been, that the bread slipped from his grasp and tumbled off the rock, much to his horror._

 _Days more passed, then weeks. On the seventieth day, Sanji could take his hunger no more. He was a pale shadow of his former self, mere skin and bones. He got up shakily and made his way over to Zeff, clutching a knife. He gasped as he saw the bag of food, as full as it had been on that first day. The hunger had gotten to him, and he didn't even stop to think that perhaps_ something was wrong. _He looked utterly delighted as he took out a knife, "What's wrong little eggplant? Have you seen a ship?" Zeff asked without turning around. His voice was hoarse and quiet, very much unlike his previous strong tone._

" _I've come to take your food!" Sanji was smirking as much as his weak body could, holding the trembling knife in front of him, "Kill me if you can, because I'll die anyway if I don't eat something!" He slashed the bag open, but only heard clanging. The knife dropped limply from his fingers, "Wha…what's this?" He was on his knees, staring helplessly at the piles of treasure spilling from the sack._

" _Little eggplant." Zeff sighed, "Didn't I tell you no contact until one of us had seen a ship?"_

" _It…it's all gold…and jewels!" Sanji stuttered._

" _To be filthy rich…and yet not able to eat. Strange isn't it?"_

" _This bag is nothing but treasure…" Sanji said hoarsely, "WHERE'S ALL THE FOOD?!" He stumbled forward, gripping onto Zeff's equally emaciated shoulder "JUST WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN EATING ALL THIS TIME?! HOW DID YOU SURVIVE?! DIDN'T YOU HAVE THAT HUGE BAG OF FOOD?!" He started and fell back in shock and horror as he eyed Zeff's leg, "Yo-your leg…" Tears started pouring from his eyes, "DID YOU EAT YOUR OWN LEG?!"_

" _Yes."_

" _WAS THE FOOD YOU GAVE ME ALL THERE WAS TO BEGIN WITH?!" He cried out in utter disbelief._

" _Yes."_

" _But you can't be a pirate anymore without your leg!" Sanji cried out in grief, "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT FOR ME?! I TRIED TO KILL YOU! I NEVER DID A SINGLE THING FOR YOU! SO WHY?!"_

" _We share the same dream." Zeff smiled softly at his disbelief, "It exists. I know it. When the times comes, go to the Grand Line and find it. I may not have been able to do it in the single year I spent on the Grand Line, but I saw the possibility of its existence!" He sighed, "But I've lost all my comrades…so I can't be the one to find it anymore. I can't imagine life as a pirate without those guys…the ones who stuck with me through thick and thin… They were good guys…" He sighed as he fell backwards, unable to stay sitting any longer._

" _G-geezer! Don't die! Don't you dare die on me!" Sanji cried, as he rushed to make sure the man hadn't given up the ghost already._

" _The sea…is too big…and too cruel." Zeff said hoarsely, "I wonder how many men have died despising the vastness of the seas…?" He stared up at the sky, "In all my years as a Pirate I've gone through my fair share of times without food. And each time, I would think about how nice it would be if there was a restaurant that floated on this vast ocean…if I ever manage to get off this damn rock, I'll build it if it's the last thing I do. The only one who could run a place like that in this age of pirates is me."_

" _Yeah!" Sanji said as he cried, "Then I'll help out too, so you better not die old geezer!"_

" _Hah! An eggplant like you is too weak for that."_

" _THEN I'LL GET STRONGER!" Sanji roared at him. Fifteen days. That was how long it took for help to arrive, and by that time both Sanji and Zeff were knocking on Death's Door. But they survived, and when they were hale and hearty once more, Zeff built his Floating Restaurant._

Sanji was bowing his head as he finished his story. He turned burning eyes at Gin, "I took everything from him! He ate his own leg so I could live! I'll be damned if I let you take this place from him, and I'll be damned if I let you kill him! IF I CAN'T PUT MY LIFE AT RISK TO SAVE HIS I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO REPAY MY DEBT TO HIM!"

WHAM! Luffy's fist connected with Sanji's cheek and sent him crashing to the floor. He hit off the floorboards so hard that his body bounced a foot back into the air. He lay there, groaning as Nami gasped, "LUFFY!"

Luffy ignored her, wrath all over his face as he grabbed Sanji by the collar and hauled him up, under the gaping gazes of every single other person there, "YOU DAMN IDIOT!" He roared in Sanji's face. He shook him until his eyes refocused, "What good will throwing your damn life away do! That old man saved you so you could live out both of your dreams! He didn't cut off his own leg so that you could spit on his sacrifice and throw your life away!" Memories of Shanks' bloody stump was filling his mind. Sanji stared at him, shock in his gaze. He dropped Sanji to the floor as he heard Krieg laughing at Sanji's story, calling out Zeff for being an idiot. A blast of plasma cut that laughter short, vaporizing a semicircle out of a piece of wood Krieg had been sitting on. The large man dove out of the way and when the beam cut off, he stared at his previous location in shock. The wood was red and smoldering from the residual heat and then it caught fire.

"I TOLD YOU TO CUT IT OUT STRAW HAT!" Gin yelled, "Don't think I won't blow her pretty little head off!"

"Then do it already, you coward!" Nami said heatedly. She was as saddened by Sanji's story as anyone there with an actual heart, and these pirates were absolutely pissing her off.

Gin stiffened and turned to her, taking one gun away from Zeff and pointing both at her, "You think I won't do it, little girl?" He asked angrily, "Don't think I won't pull this tri-"

"Then do it." Nami said, deathly serious. She turned her head from the temporarily-suspended fight below and eyed him. She smirked, making sure Luffy would hear her, "Guns aren't for show, you know." Luffy grinned broadly.

Gin growled, before his arm jerked and he pulled the trigger. BANG! The gun went off with a plume of fire and a tremendous crack, but despite being at point-blank range, the only thing he hit was Nami's after image. Teeth flew from his mouth as she appeared exactly where she had been, staff in high gear. The impact spun him so that his back was facing the lower fins, both his guns flying from his hands. She vanished again and appeared in front of him, to his right. Her staff flew true once more and caught him right under the chin, sending him twirling and tumbling out from the higher deck. He managed to reach the apex of his flight right in the middle of the burning fin, before Nami appeared above him one last time. She and her staff hurtled downward, cracking him in the forehead and sending him rocketing to the ground. His head impacted the wood and broke right through it, burying him up to his collar in the wooden deck. His legs flopped lifelessly down, leaving him with his head in the ground and his ass in the wind. Nami landed like a cat, in a three-point landing. She had the widest, smuggest smirk anyone had ever seen on her face.

"BATTLE COMMANDER GIN!" The rest of the Krieg pirates screamed in terror, watching as their second strongest fighter was taken out.

Krieg eyed his first mate blankly, "Oi Gin, stop playing around." Gin slumped further, if anything, "GIN! YOU'RE MY BATTLE COMMANDER AND I'M TELLING YOU TO GET UP!" Gin didn't move a muscle. A large vein started pulsing on Don Krieg's temple, as he started to grit his teeth. He was practically foaming at the mouth. He began to howl in fury, "DAMN YOU, YOU WORTHLESS TRASH!" He looked the very picture of a villain having his villainous breakdown. One of his teeth cracked in his mouth as he kept grinding, the snap ringing clearly in the silent air, "WE'RE THE KRIEG PIRATES! THE STRONGEST IN EAST BLUE! THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN BE BEATEN BY SOME LITTLE BITCH!"

Nami didn't even bother scowling anymore. Those kinds of taunts wouldn't get to her anymore. She had her staff over both shoulders behind her neck and her hands were hanging of it lazily. She was grinning as madly as Luffy as she came to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, "You aren't the strongest of anything," She stuck her tongue out and pulled down her eyelid, "Biggest maybe." She grinned, before gaining a surprised look to her, "Oh, but you aren't even that anymore. Guess that makes you…well, nothing really."

Krieg looked apoplectic, "I see…I see now." He pulled one of his large shoulder plates off and aimed it in their direction, "I didn't lack information…I LACKED A STRONG CREW, YOU FUCKING WEAKLINGS!" He howled, trembling in sheer rage. The mouth of the Krieg Jolly Roger on the shield opened up, revealing a cannon as he grabbed a fancy mask from his side and fastened it to his face. The rest of the Krieg crew panicked and started scrambling for the gas masks on their belts as well, "NO ONE PUT ON A MASK!" Krieg bellowed at the sight, "NOT ONE OF YOU IS WORTH YOUR MASK. IF YOU SURVIVE THE POISON GAS, I'LL KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!" The masks dropped limply from their hands, staring at their foaming mad Captain in horror. They all started to sob, while some dove off the fin in a desperate attempt to get away. The open mouth on the shield started to glow, "DIE! ALL OF YOU! DIE! LETHAL POISON GAS BOMB! M! H! 5!"

The cannon fired, launching a large black projectile shaped vaguely like a warhead. It flew towards the ship of panicking cooks and pirates, before Luffy lazily raised his fist. " **Enten no Higan!** " A thin blast of plasma – the same as he used against the Lord of the Coast near his hometown – engulfed the bomb. When Luffy lowered his arm, the MH5 bomb had completely disappeared. Once again, the rest of the boat was filled with snot-nosed brats. Even Krieg himself, shown by the waterfall of snot coming out from his mask. "Shishishishi! You're next, stupid."

"Hey Luffy." His ears quirked as he turned to look at Nami, who was looking at Krieg with a vicious grin, "I think I owe that asshole, don't you agree?" Luffy grinned right back at her, "If he's the kind who will kill his own crew, then he's even weaker than I thought." Krieg growled at the girl as he pulled off his gas mask, "There's no need for you to waste your time on this weakling. How about I get some practice?" She turned to him with a smile, "After all, I'll hardly be ready for the Grand Line if I lose to this asshole." She dropped one of her arms and swung her staff into a ready position.

"Shishishi!" Luffy started laughing out loud as he fell back and took a seat on the stairs, "Have fun Nami!"

"Whatwhatwhat!" Sanji immediately got in his face and started shaking Luffy, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING! THAT'S DON KRIEG! WHY ARE YOU SENDING THE GODDE-"

Luffy punched him in the gut, bending him over, "Shut up. I still owe you an ass-kicking." Luffy grumbled, "Old man eats his leg for you and you think that to pay him back you should die? What an idiot." Luffy scowled at him, even as Sanji trembled in pain under his gaze, "Sit down and watch. I trust my crew and I trust her." He stopped scowling at Sanji and turned back to Nami, a grin growing on his face again.

Krieg leered at Nami, "Oh I'm going to enjoy this, you fucking bitch."

"I doubt it." Nami smiled cheerfully as she landed on the platform Krieg was waiting on.

"You know, I'm a little glad that Straw Hat bastard destroyed my bomb. After I kill the rest of you I think I'll keep you as a pet." Krieg grinned as his armor opened up, revealing his mounted guns, "I'll finish this qui-!"

Nami shut him right up when she appeared in the air in front of the large man. He had no time whatsoever to react as Nami's staff caught him square in the teeth, rattling his brains and sending him crashing to the floor. "Get up Krieg! I know that wasn't enough to take you out." She was spinning the staff lazily as she licked her lips. ' _Huh, when did I start actually enjoying fights?_ ' She wondered absently. She certainly hadn't been into it before. She had always been a thief, ' _Hmph, for all the good that did me. It's been almost a decade and I still haven't raised enough, and that's if Arlong doesn't try to get me on a technicality._ ' She had been terrified for so long, and hopeless for so long. She smirked. Maybe this would actually be better. She could take care of herself now, and she _liked it._

Krieg finally decided to stop lying about and jumped to his feet, turning and thrusting his shield at Nami, who danced out of its path and jumped. She landed a clean kick to Krieg's head which sent him a few steps backwards. He turned to her with a bloody smirk, "You don't hit so hard." He said victoriously. He replaced his shoulder plate onto his armor and held out his clenched fists, "One hit from me and you'll be down for good, bitch."

"By all means then, _Don._ Hit me." She grinned.

"STOP BEING SO COCKY, YOU LITTLE WEAKLING!" Krieg roared and punched out at her. She dodged so fluidly with **Kami-e** that it almost looked as if she was being lazy. Krieg charged forward like a wild animal, sending punch after punch towards the nimble girl, missing every single one. Every time he did hit something – such as the wooden mast of his destroyed Galleon – he pulverized it. His physical strength was actually pretty immense, and Nami certainly didn't want to be hit by him.

"Are you even trying to hit me?" She taunted, sticking her tongue out. She was used to using her feminine wiles to get men to do what she wanted. This was a little different, but at the same time, it was just more of the same. She _wanted_ him angry and _stupid_. She realized after that first hit that she wasn't going to beat this huge guy the way she beat Gin. She would need to get him and get him _hard_. Taunting the raging bull seemed to work wonders in keeping him open for hits. Like the one she just gave him.

WHAM! Her staff swung upwards and cracked him on the chin, forcing his teeth to crack against one another from the impact, "Grk!" Krieg groaned as he felt blood welling in his mouth. He had bitten his tongue because of that. He raised his fist again but before he could do anything more, her staff hit the bridge of his nose and knocked him back a couple steps. "You fucking uppity whore!" He growled, before grabbing his cape and swinging it around his body, revealing a mass of spikes, "I'd like to see you hit me now! You can't even come close!" He charged at her, looking to barge straight into her like a large spiked wall. Nami vanished and he skidded to a stop, growling. She appeared above him, standing on his cape harmlessly. They were huge spikes after all, and she had small feet. She could easily fit them in between each spike.

She was grinning, "I'd suggest you reconsider those words, but I really don't like you." She shoved her staff down, and cracked him right in his widened eye with the butt of her staff.

"FUCK!" He howled as she back-flipped off of him as he swung his massive hands up to his now bleeding, useless eye. "MY EYE!" He howled in agony, swinging his body wildly in pain. Finally, he settled on one knee, holding one hand to his face while the other was clenched, arm muscles bulging under his armor. The hand on his face was leaking blood, and Nami really didn't want to see what was behind that hand. She had just eaten a couple minutes ago, after all.

"N-NO WAY!" One of the Krieg pirates screamed, "I've never seen Don on his knees!"

She grinned, "Invincible armor huh? You're full of weak spots."

Krieg spat at her, before punching. His gauntlet exploded, launching a huge iron net at her, "Drown you bitch!"

"No thanks." Nami vanished and appeared behind him. CRACK! She slammed her staff as hard as she could into the back of his dome. Krieg went down, slamming his forehead against the floorboards. She looked angry as she took in her staff, or rather the small crack running down it, "Fuck! What is your damn head made of!" She yelled at Krieg, even as he got up and tried to backhand her. She jumped out of range and complained, "You cracked my staff." She sulked. She _liked_ this staff. She jumped back as Krieg got up again, howling like a mad beast and shooting a dozen guns at her. She bob and weaved around the bullets with **Kami-e**. ' _I can't put him down. Damn it!_ '

She was starting to tire a little, and her breath was coming a little harsher. Zeff noticed that immediately, "She's tiring." He said needlessly. Sanji was clenching his fists in worry as he watched her.

"Damn it!" Sanji growled, "He has so many weapons and strong armor! She can't bust through."

"She'll figure something out." Luffy was still grinning, without concern. He trusted her. "She's come a long way. She isn't about to lose to that asshole."

"Damn it! That's Don Krieg!" Sanji yelled at him, "Even if his crew was crap, he was still strong enough to throw that mini battleship! And he has more weapons on him then that battleship!" He screamed in worry as Krieg started using a flamethrower, looking to cook Nami alive. He swung the flaming arc madly in the attempt to catch her with it, but she used **Soru** beautifully to stay out of its way. A kick to the back of Krieg's head sent him careening to the deck once more, though he bounced up as fast as ever, still trying to catch her with his flamethrower. This time, she appeared to his side and kicked him as hard as she could in his unarmored thigh. He grimaced in pain as she started a dance of **Soru** , coming in as fast as she could and delivering a hammer blow to his unprotected legs each time. Because one of Krieg's eyes were useless, he was especially vulnerable on his left side. He just couldn't see her coming. Krieg had enough and spun in a circle, hoping to catch her with his fire. Nami took the smart way out and dove into the drink. Krieg quickly ran out of fuel for his flames and it sputtered before dying out. Nami climbed back onto the deck, but she was noticeably panting.

"Damn it, she's getting really tired!" Sanji's jaw was clenched.

"And yet she won't give up." Zeff countered, "It doesn't matter how many weapons Krieg throws at her or how tired she gets. She just keeps going. He's no match for her conviction." He turned to Luffy, "Hey kid, how long have you been teaching her?"

"Eh, how'd you know I taught her?" Luffy blinked at him.

Zeff laughed, "She uses the same moves as you do, even if she's nowhere near as good at them, or as fast." He smirked at Luffy, "So that makes you the teacher, doesn't it?"

"Shishishi, it's been a couple weeks by now." He grinned, "She used to be afraid of fighting even the weaklings. Then one day, she just got really serious about learning from me." His smile dimmed as he remembered her reasons…the nightmares that had given her that new conviction, "She's been trying her heart out since then."

"A couple weeks!" Sanji gasped, "That's impossible!"

Zeff noticed how he got much more serious, "People like her…like you…they don't go down without a fight. They never give up, even when things appear hopeless. A weakling like Krieg could never beat either of you." Luffy was back to grinning madly.

Krieg's legs had their pants torn off and looked like two giant bruises. Every step he took sent a jagged fork of lightning up his legs, sending his nerves into screaming pain. Nami was grinning. She knew how to take him down now. She didn't have the power to bust through that stupid armor or his stupid head, so she would have to go around it.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Krieg roared, grabbing both of his shoulder plates and slamming them together. A handle came out and extended it into a long spear. The massive round shield at the end spat out a triangle of sharp metal. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"You haven't even touched me, stupid." Nami grinned as she merely jumped back out of the spear's range.

She regretted that immediately.

Her shill scream broke through the air as the deck the spear hit exploded outward, peppering her with wooden shrapnel. She hurried to cross her arms in front of her face, avoiding getting hit in the head. But the blast knocked her down into the deck and she rolled, aggravating the wooden chucks embedded into her flesh. She cried in pain as blood leaked down her arms, "FUCK!" She screamed as she grabbed the two wooden shards embedded in her left arm and above her hip and yanked them out. Blood started pouring from the wounds. She saw red, "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" She screamed and vanished. The trained, furious eyes of Zeff and Luffy saw she was noticeably slower after taking her first hit of the fight. She appeared directly under Krieg, almost sliding on the crippled deck. As soon as she was able, she kicked upwards.

Krieg's gruff voice immediately went high pitched and he began singing soprano. He pitched forward while also being lifted off his feet and flying backwards from the impact, clutching his family jewels and falling face first onto the deck. He ground his face onto it, gaining a friction burn as he slid back. Nami continued flying before somersaulting backwards and landing on her feet. She ran forward and pretended that Krieg's sack was a ball. She hit him so hard between the legs that he launched forwards, smashing into the broken mast before slumping down. She stalked forward like an angry tiger and kicked him in the jewels again, and then again.

Everyone watching turned blue, while the weaker willed among them crossed their legs and crossed their hands in front of their crotches. Luffy raised a shaky hand, "Uh, Nami? I think he's… eeep." He shut up as she turned a scathing glare in his direction, "Never mind. I think I still see him twitching."

Finally, Nami had enough and fell backwards, spread eagle. Her chest was heaving and she was pouring both sweat as well as blood. But she had a wide grin on her face. She had done it! She felt herself hauled up into the air and she almost flailed, worried that even after all that abuse, Krieg was still awake. But no, Krieg was out cold and probably wishing he was dead in whatever dreamland took him. She was held bridal style in a beaming Luffy's arms. She tiredly wrapped her arms around him, "I think I'm going to take a nap." She mumbled, before passing out herself.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy chuckled as he carried the beautiful girl in his arms. He vanished, and appeared with her on the _Going Merry_.

"Luffy!" Usopp gasped as he saw Nami in the state she was in, "Is she alright?"

Luffy grinned, "Yeah…she's just fine." He gazed at her fondly as he placed her down on the deck, "Can you bandage her hip and her arm? I'll be right back." He grinned down at Usopp, who was busy doing as was requested, "We can start sailing back to the restaurant. The fight's over."

He vanished and reappeared back on the Baratie. Krieg was still down, with his men crowded around him. Even Gin was up again, staring at the defeated form of his Captain in disbelief, "Thi…this is impossible." He kept repeating blankly.

Sanji sighed and got up, "Give these idiots the boat we use to go out and buy supplied."

"What?" Patty yelled, "Why should we do anything for these clowns! They attacked us!"

"Just do it!" Sanji yelled at them, and they hurried off while grumbling and whining about Sanji. "Get out of here with the rest of these idiots, Gin. Don't come back."

Gin looked shamed as he picked up Don Krieg, "Sanji…I'm sorry." He sighed, "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Sanji stared at him without sympathy, "Funny how that happens, huh?" He glared, "You lost all sympathy when you tried to blow Zeff's head off."

"I…"

"Go." Sanji turned away, before coming to stare at Luffy. Gin bowed his head in shame and left. "Kid." Sanji looked at Luffy, "What did you mean?"

Luffy didn't have to ask what he meant, "He saved you so you could live your life, idiot. He saved you because he couldn't accomplish his dream, but _you_ could." Zeff was looking out at the open ocean, decidedly not looking at either of them. "I don't know what this All Blue thing is, but neither of you are ever going to see it if you keep being an idiot!"

Sanji was quiet for a moment, "That true, Geezer?" Zeff was still silent, and Sanji bowed his head, "That's why you always try so hard to kick me out?"

"That's right lil' eggplant.." Zeff finally spoke up, "I've always hated brats."

Sanji brought his cigarette up to his lips and took a deep drag. He exhaled, looking out at the sky. He looked down at Luffy, "We both have crazy dreams, don't we? I guess I'll have to come along and be your cook." Luffy broke out into a wide grin, "So where we headed, Captain?"

"I don't know the name of the island." Luffy admitted. He wasn't really good with small details like that, and Nami had only mentioned it once. He didn't remembered. "But I know what we're doing there." He grinned and punched his left hand with his fist, "I'm going to feed Arlong the Saw his own nose."

 **-]|[-**

Another day had gone by, and Nami was once again up, even if she was still wincing when she moved sometimes. Zoro was awake, though still bedridden. Nami had given him a few lumps to go with the horrendous injuries he already had when he had tried to get up and train. The _Going Merry_ was once again fully stocked, by terrified chefs who stared at Luffy like he was a dead man. Everyone in East Blue knew who Arlong the Saw was. They had basically almost cleaned the place out of meat, and the crew along with Johnny and Yosaku were sitting against the rails, waiting for Sanji.

Finally, he showed up, a cigarette in his mouth and a rucksack over his shoulder. The past day had been spent recuperating and reminiscing for a lot of the people there, and now it was about to be goodbye. He started walking forward in the path created by the rest of the cooks, leading to his new hope. Well, almost all the cooks. Patty and Carne appeared above him, holding their oversized kitchen weapons, "This is payback for all those years! DIE!" They were soon smoking on the floor covered in lumps.

Sanji stopped by Zeff, and stared at him, "How's my cooking, geezer?"

Zeff smirked and scoffed, "Still shit, little eggplant."

"Who's full of shit now, geezer?" He walked away. He saw the truth in Zeff's eyes. That was just how the two of them had always been…and how they would always be.

"Not going to say goodbye?" Luffy asked him with a grin as he jumped up onto the deck of the _Going Merry_.

"It's fine." Sanji said, his face blank.

"Hey Sanji." Zeff said, lips quirked under his mustache. Sanji's stone-faced look broke, "Don't catch a cold."

Tears started prickling in Sanji's eyes, and his lips quivered, "OWNER ZEFF!" He yelled, whirling around and putting his head flat against the ship's rail. "I'm eternally grateful to you for taking care of me for so damn long!" Patty and Carne broke into tears, and started howling. Zeff held himself much better, not allowing his tears to fall. He wiped them with his arm, "I'll never forget it! Never, for the rest of my life!"

"You damn idiots." Zeff said, "Men should say their goodbyes silently." He was adamantly holding his own tears back.

"SET SAIL!" Luffy hollered as the _Merry_ broke from the _Baratie_ and started sailing away.

 **-]|[-**

"Usopp." Nami barged into the workshop Usopp was trying to set up on the ship. He jumped, spilling the ingredients for his new star.

He growled at the wasted work, "What's up Nami?"

"You said you were an inventor right?" She asked, "Were you telling the truth or was that another of your lies?"

He scoffed and crossed his arms, "Of course I'm an inventor! Don't underestimate me!" He blinked, "What's that got to do with anything though?"

Nami sat down and grimaced, holding her side, "This." She hissed, "I was way better than Krieg! I may not have been stronger, but he was no match for me until that stupid exploding spear-" She jerked her head at said weapon, which they had taken from Krieg before they left, "-caught me by surprise. I should have beaten him easily, but I just couldn't take him down! I didn't have any attack strong enough." She sighed, "And Luffy told me that unlike the movement abilities of the Rokushiki, the attacking abilities are much, _much_ harder to learn. It'll be a long time before I can use them well enough in a fight." She put her finger on his nose and pushed it down, holding back a giggle as it sprung back up and wobbled, "And you've not even _started_ learning the Rokushiki yet."

Usopp crossed his arm, not looking pleased, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying we _both_ need more firepower. My staff broke on that idiot's head. I'll need a better one. As for you, at the very least, you need a better slingshot." She said, and grinned, "But luckily, we have you, _Mr. Inventor._ "

Usopp stared at her, "Yeah, I think I can work something out." He grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

"I knew I could count on you Usopp!" She clapped her hands together in glee.

"Yeah, but it won't be cheap. We'll have to sit down together and start coming up with ideas and material costs." Nami cringed at that, but held strong. It went against her every instinct, but it would be worth it. It would have to be worth it, or else she'd strangle the longnose.

 **-]|[-**

"She's been gone an awful long time." Kurobi said to Arlong as they sat around the banquet table.

"She has." Arlong said in between bites of his food. "I'm not worried. Little Nami knows better than to run away. She'll be back."

"She's been gone for much, much longer than she usually is though." Kurobi repeated, "She's a smart girl, for a worthless human. She was close wasn't she?"

"She was." Arlong said thoughtfully.

"Maybe she's trying to get as much as she can in one trip, so she can try to surprise us." Chew suggested.

Arlong was silent as he considered his officer's words, "Shahahaha." He started to laughed, "Yes, that would be just like out little Nami, wouldn't it?" He turned to Kurobi, "Get me Nezumi." His dark laughter filled the night air and chills went down the spines of all the humans on the Conomi Islands.

 **-]|[-**

 **AND DONE! Another monster of a chapter on the books!**

 **Phew, this one took much less time than the last chapter. It helps that this was a much more fun mini arc than the last one. (It honestly should have been out sooner, but I got sick and didn't feel like writing. Also Overwatch.)**

 **Something that I just want to make sure is clear is that sailing takes a long time. Time isn't really brought up in the manga most of the time, so I'm taking a few liberties here to give crew members extra training time. Quite a bit of time passed in between the end of last chapter and the start of the last one. At least two weeks.**

 **Now, I imagine that** _ **Nami**_ **taking down both Krieg and Gin will have caught some of you by surprise. I've been planning it for a while, and I hope you all enjoyed it! Now, with Kami-e, Geppo (kinda-sorta. There's a reason she didn't use it much in her big fight.), and Soru under her belt, she's WAY stronger than Canon Nami. (Which – as an aside – I think is way stronger than many people give her credit for. It** _ **IS**_ **played for laughs, but Nami is strong enough to hurt Luffy even though he's rubber. I'm just taking it a bit further and as you can see, she's** _ **training.**_ **) Still, not too strong. I definitely tried to make sure that she struggled. She tired quickly and the one time Krieg hit her, it almost put her down. To top it off, she definitely didn't break through his armor the way Luffy did. But if anything, she left him worse off after all the abuse to his lower body. When Krieg wakes up, he'll probably wish he didn't.**

 **But now, with the Clima-tact starting to come in early on top of it, we're reaching the point I wanted for Nami. She's going to be a** _ **battlemage**_ **(to borrow a MMO term, since battlesciencegirl doesn't have the same ring to it), and man can I not wait to write some good fights for her. It's a pity I can't just skip to the Sorcery Clima-tact, but even the basic one should be fun.**

 **Zoro is also much stronger than in canon – In both sheer strength and in his techniques – using one of his pound cannon attack against Mihawk. Who promptly laughs it off, cuts him down, and then takes a massive plasma burst from Luffy without even a scratch. Talk about Reality Ensues huh?**

 **I'm sure you guys were also a little surprised that I didn't add Gin to the crew in this one. With the "expanded Crew" tag, I'm sure many of you were expecting it as has been done in a good number of stories.**

 **Well, things don't always work out that way, do they? Gin didn't fight Sanji, nor did he have his moment of redemption. His quick knockout spurred Krieg to madness and when the dust settled, all that he could feel was shame as a man who could have been a friend felt only anger towards him. Gin's story ends here.**

 **This chapter could have been a** _ **little**_ **shorter, but honestly, Sanji's backstory is important. I really just don't feel comfortable glossing over important history like that, even if everyone should technically already know it. It's important setup for the characters, so it just doesn't feel** _ **right**_ **doing three or four lines on entire chapters from the Manga.**

 **Next up is Arlong Park, and I'm hoping to do Loguetown as well. With Arlong up to his old tricks at the end of this chapter and the backstory already taken care of in detail, Arlong's arc is pretty much going to end up being just fights. I'm hoping it'll be short enough that I can combine the two chapters the same way I did for** _ **Romance Dawn**_ **. Still, sound off on it guys. I want to know if you think I should post Arlong standalone even if it ends up being a short one.**

 **Also, once East Blue ends, so do these single-chapter arcs. Keep that in mind, because even for me, 30k per chapter is starting to push it. Post-East Blue, they'll definitely start getting cut into multiple chapters. Imagine Dressrosa in one chapter. I'd probably end up hitting a word limit or something.**

 **Cheers!**

 **Vortex out!**


	5. Where Arlong Eats His Nose

**IMPORTANT!**

 **Guys, I had problems uploading this chapter. I was trying to upload a simple docx file but it was failing and telling me that the "** **file does not appears to be in the correct format: msword." Which is ridiculous of course. I was typing in Word and I've changed nothing from my setup for several chapters.**

 **If any of you are having this problem, I got around it by exporting a previous chapter and doing the good old Copy Pasta with the new chapter. Unfortunately, I don't know if this broke any of my formatting. It doesn't appear as if it did, but it might have. If so, I'll try to have it fixed ASAP. Already tweeted this (as well as another) problem at fictionpress. Hopefully it is resolved soon.**

* * *

 **How is everyone doing today?**

 **Thank you all (Well, most of you) for the kind words you had for the last chapter. Of course, I did get one bad review, left – of course – by an anonymous guest. It was a valid concern, so I suppose I'll answer it. Guest ranted for a little bit on me for the lack of big divergences.**

 **What exactly am I supposed to do for big divergences in East Blue? This story – barring the new fruit and Luffy's extra training – started off at the same point. So it wouldn't have diverged early on in canon, because nothing happened to _cause_ it to diverge. Conversely, in Crush, Arlong's early defeat will have stirred things up in East Blue.**

 **I'm not going to have very many gigantic divergences just for the sake of having gigantic divergences. Something has to _cause_ them. A butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane at the other end of the world, no? A nonexistent butterfly can't make an existent hurricane. Besides, if you had read the next chapter, you would have seen that there _were_ decently big divergences, in that Nami fought Krieg; that Gin didn't get his redemption; that Sanji didn't get his ass kicked; that _more time had passed_ than in the manga and Arlong was getting antsy! **

**Anyway, most of you seem to have really enjoyed where I took Nami. There were one or two of you who thought she was growing too strong too quickly, but I had expected that. Simply put, just having Soru in East Blue already makes you a top dog. Kuro's bastardized blind version of it was enough to allow him to handle an entire ship of Marines without breaking a sweat. I could have done NOTHING more than that with her and she probably would have already been able to figure something out to beat Krieg. Kuro probably could have beat him. All he would have had to do was cut off his head, or a leg. No armor to get in the way. And if _I'm_ saying _Kuro_ could beat them, that's really fucking saying something. East Blue is East Blue. **

**Another concern was that they felt that Luffy taking Pearl's arm was unnecessarily violent. I'll say the same thing I told them; Luffy is _plasma_. That is, by default, an extremely dangerous power. To keep this story bloodless – for lack of a better word. You know. Cauterization and all. – would be doing a huge disservice. (I suppose I'll be hearing that again this chapter. Insert Evil Laughter.) That does not mean that I'm going to go all grimderp. I HATE grimderp. Remember, even the lovable Red Haired Pirates – specifically Lucky Roo, who looks like he's the jolliest guy around – had no compunctions about shooting a man in the head. They're pirates, not _saints_. **

**Also, I've said it before, but apparently it bears repeating; Luffy is NOT good with his Devil Fruit yet! He can't use it at home because he'll burn the forest down. He can't use it against his friends – few of them that he has – because he'll _kill_ them at worst and disfigure them at best. The ONLY one he can practice against is his Grandpa, who is so far ahead of him that he may as well be blowing warm air in his general direction. (In case you can't tell, I have Garp – even old Garp – pretty high on the food chain in One Piece.)**

 **One last thing: Any techniques that I create or have created for me (thanks guys!) will have translations at the bottom of the page. Any canon attacks however, will be left untranslated. If you want to know what it means, it's a quick google search away, and you'll land right in the One Piece wikia.**

 **-]|[-**

 **No challenges this time, but I have an update on Crush: It's moving. Pretty slowly, but it's moving. I had some events planned already, but there are some specifics that are being a pain in the ass. Plus I had an idea part of the way into the chapter that will change some more things. Also, unless the pace drastically changes, I'm probably going to do all of East Blue in one fell swoop so I can get to the fun stuff quicker. The same goes for the potential Goro Goro Luffy fic I piloted in _Mysteries of the Seas_. (Remember the butterfly. :D)**

 **-]|[-**

 **Chapter V: Where Arlong Eats His Nose**

 **-]|[-**

"Chichichi…I am Captain Nezumi of the Marine Branch Number Sixteen." The man in question stood there flanked by regular Marine sailors. They all had their arms crossed behind their backs. Nezumi was of average height, wearing a gray-blue, button-up long coat. Clearly the man had been aptly named, for he was truly a rat in every sense of the word. He even had whiskers, and his coat had a cloak with mouse ears on it. "I would like to speak to Genzo of Cocoyashi." His voice had a sort of arrogant quality to it, and the previously hopeful villagers of Cocoyashi all felt shivers run down their spines.

"That'd be me." Genzo stepped forward. He was a heavily scarred man wearing a maroon police uniform with short sleeves and a matching pair of shorts. His hat also matched, but it had a long pinwheel on a stick attached to it, for whatever reason. "What do you want, Captain?"

Nezumi had a sleazy grin on his face, "I would like to speak to a young woman named Nami. I believe she lives in this village, no?"

Immediately, the townsfolk stiffened up. Genzo weathered and scarred face closed up and clouded, "I'm afraid Nami isn't here. She's been gone for several months on a trip, with no due date to come home. Just as she's done for the past several years, actually."

"Chichichi…that is not a problem." Nezumi had seen the effect his words had on the town, and it gave him such a fuzzy feeling, "Her sister will do. Nojiko is her name, correct?"

"That's right." Genzo said, trying very hard not to grit his teeth and remain cordial.

"Then lead the way, Mr. Genzo." Nezumi watched as Genzo whirled around and started walking from the docks to the inner island. He followed at a leisurely pace, taking in the sights as well as the distrustful looks from the people of Cocoyashi. They came upon a small, nondescript house. The only things special about it were the tangerine groves.

Genzo knocked on the door and a beautiful young lady opened it. She had icy blue hair and dark blue eyes, as well as a decently tattooed right arm. It was covered in swirling designs, which crossed over her chest making a stylized heart shape. She wore a simple white tank top and green pants, "Genzo, what's going on?" She eyed the Marines suspiciously.

"My name is Captain Nezumi." Nezumi stepped forward and introduced himself again, eyeing the woman appreciatively. His grin widened as she shivered under her gaze, "I came to speak to your sister Nami, but as she is absent you'll have to do."

"What about, Captain?" Nojiko said carefully.

"I'm afraid this will not be a pleasant conversation." Nezumi declared with an ever widening smirk, "We recently have received dozens of complaints and reports about your sister's thieving."

Nojiko stiffened and became guarded, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, but I think you do. Your stiffness says more than your words." Nezumi said happily, "You need not worry. No one here is to be harmed. After all, your sister's targets were all pirates. Not anyone who didn't deserve to have everything they owned stripped from them." His grin widened in victory, "So we will not be laying any charges on her." He shrugged in a mocking display of sheepishness, "But a thief is still a thief and a crime is still a crime. Do you see what I'm getting at?" He almost licked his lips at the look of desperate horror in Nojiko's eyes, "It's only natural for stolen goods to be taken by the government. That way, we can ensure that they return to their _rightful owners_."

"What did you say?" She gasped, eyes wide in panic.

"I'm sure you heard me the first time. Chichichi! You will turn over your sister's stolen goods immediately!" Nezumi swept his hand in front of him, "Search the house!" He commanded.

One Marine charged forward, only to be met by a hard punch from Genzo. He fell to the floor groaning, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" He bellowed in rage, "Don't you bastards have something more important to do?! The Arlong Pirates are going around destroying villages and murdering people! Why aren't you doing anything about _that_! The people here are slaves under his rule! Yet you ignore all that and focus on one petty thief!"

"Chichichi!" Nezumi cackled, "A criminal should speak so high-handily. You just assaulted a Marine. Ignore them and continue with the search!"

"The people of this island have been waiting for almost a decade for the Marines to help!"

Genzo would have gone on, but a nameless Marine yelled, "These mikan trees look suspicious Captain!"

"Well, dig them up then!" Nezumi yelled back.

"DON'T TOUCH THEM!" Genzo roared as he punched the man away.

Nojiko had scrambled inside and grabbed a pistol, "DON'T YOU TOUCH MY MOTHER'S MIKAN TREES WITH YOUR FILTHY HANDS!" She screamed, her hands trembling, "IF YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF SAVING THIS VILLAGE, THEN GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

Nezumi stiffened, breaking into a small sweat. A rat is a rat, after all. How he made Captain boggled the mind. But the rest of the Marines weren't nearly so cowardly. They all yanked out their rifles and pointed them at the two. Nezumi regained his confidence quickly, "Chichichi. What's taking so long? We're not looking for a grain of rice here! How hard is it to find eighty million Beli?"

"What?" Nojiko gasped. Her pistol slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor. She slid to her knees, "How did you know…HOW MUCH MONEY THERE WAS?! DID ARLONG SEND YOU HERE?!"

Nezumi's face looked almost demented in his joy, "Oh, I wouldn't go that far…we're just doing our natural duty of persecuting criminals." Nojiko grabbed her pistol and fired, an expression of sheer rage on her face, "FUCK!" Nezumi screamed, falling to the ground and clutching his shoulder. "YOU LITTLE BITCH!" He roared as a single Marine fired a bullet into Nojiko's thigh.

She went down, screaming her lungs out as she clutched her bleeding leg, the ammo-less pistol falling from her grip. "Nojiko!" Genzo roared, scrambling to her and pulling her into his arms.

"Ignore them and find the money so we can get out of here!" Nezumi roared angrily as they raced away. Damn, he really wished Arlong hadn't told him not to harm them. Why, even he didn't know. He clutched his bleeding arm as he got to his feet, glaring hatefully at their retreating forms, "Get me to the ship! I'll leave this to the rest of you." He spat at his underlings. "They'll get theirs in time." He forced a chuckle, "I think I'll use some of this money to buy her from Arlong. Chichichi…"

 **-]|[-**

"DOCTOR NAKO!" Genzo roared as he practically kicked down the doctor's door. Nako wore a black bandana with a red cross on it as well as a white doctor's coat with red crosses on the shoulders.

Nako jumped roughly a foot into the air, "Genzo, what is the meaning of th…" He trailed off, looking at the bleeding woman in his arms, "Nojiko-chan! Lay her down! Quick!" Doctor Nako quickly set to work, giving the poor woman painkillers before digging out the round. He cleaned and dressed the wound as expertly as he could, "What happened?" Nako asked in disbelief, "How did little Nojiko-chan get shot?"

Genzo was gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, "That bastard Arlong…" He hissed, "He sent his fucking corrupt Marines here! They STOLE ALL OF NAMI'S MONEY!"

"That can't be!" Nako gasped, "It's all gone?!"

Genzo grit his teeth and didn't answer Nako. He turned and ran out of the doctor's home. "Genzo! Where are you going! GENZO! DON'T DO ANYTHING FOOLISH!"

 **-]|[-**

"Eight years ago we swore not to throw our lives away!" Genzo was surrounded by villagers with all sorts of melee weaponry, "We swore that no matter how painful living under Arlong's rule was, that we would endure as long as Nami was okay! That we would play the long game! THIS IS HOW THEY'VE ANSWERED US!" The villagers looked burly and angry, "Our only chance at liberation has been STOLEN FROM US!" He bellowed in rage, "WE NO LONGER HAVE ANY HOPE, BUT WE WILL NEVER FORGIVE THOSE BASARD FISHMEN! THEY DARED TOY WITH OUR NAMI'S KINDNESS!" He looked at all of them, "ANY OBJECTION!"

"No way! As if we'd accept their rule after this!" The angry people roared.

Just as Genzo was about to lead the charge, a voice yelled, "STOP!" Nojiko was hobbling towards them, using Doctor Nako as a cane. She was visibly in agony but she kept moving forward, limping closer to them, "Stop this right now everyone! We can't do this right now!"

"What are you talking about Nojiko?!" Genzo roared at her, "They've betrayed us! There's no hope for salvation anymore! We may all die, but we'll take some of those sons of bitches with us!"

"AND WHAT WILL NAMI DO WHEN SHE GETS HOME AND FINDS US ALL DEAD! WHAT WILL SHE DO WHEN SHE FINDS OUT AND CONFRONTS ARLONG?! HE'LL CHAIN HER TO THAT FUCKING CARTOGRAPHY DESK FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE!" She screamed in his face. Genzo recoiled in shock. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and groaned, getting lowered to her knees by Nako. She turned tearful eyes to Genzo, "We can't." She whispered brokenly, "Not until Nami is home! We have to make sure she leaves as soon as she can! We may all die, but she doesn't have to! Maybe she could take some of the children with her!"

Genzo's sword clattered to the dirt as he crumbled to his knees, "God damn it…' He whispered brokenly, "GOD! DAMN IIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTT!" He roared as he pounded his fists into the dirt, utterly defeated.

 **-]|[-**

Sanji grunted at he was sent to the floor yet again. Like the rest of the crew – barring the Captain himself – he was battered and bruised. He clenched his cigarette hard between his teeth as Luffy gave him a hand up, "Shishishi, good job Sanji." Sanji was sweating profusely and breathing harder than ever before. The moment that the _Baratie_ had been out of sight, the crew had started their training once again. And for Sanji, it had been a huge wake up call. He had been terrified for Nami when she had faced Don Krieg, and rightfully so. The man's one lucky shot using that damnable surprise exploding spear had almost taken her out. But she had proven herself to be stronger than he had ever expected, and he had assumed that without his Devil Fruit, Luffy would be about the same.

Even after seeing evidence to the contrary, he had never been more wrong. It was only when he was learning Soru on the deck of the _Going Merry_ that he realized Luffy had practically been _playing around_ when he kicked Krieg _through_ his ship. He took a drag from his smoke as he was finally given a break, "Not sure I agree. You manhandled me." Sanji sighed.

"Everyone gets manhandled by Luffy." Usopp deadpanned. He was sweating profusely and visibly straining, "Luffy is the strongest person here, by far."

"Don't slack off, Usopp." Zoro said lazily from his place on Usopp's back. Nami had told him quite firmly that he wouldn't be doing any training himself for at least a couple more days, and his attempts to ignore his 'doctor's orders' were…painful to say the least. So for now, he sat on Usopp's back and polished his sword while the young man did push-ups.

"My turn, Luffy?" Nami was twirling a new staff. As her old one had cracked, Usopp had made a temporary one for her while she waited for his creation to be finished. This one was a light blue, like her last one, with silvery metal reinforcing both of the ends.

Luffy grinned and pulled his pipe from his back, "Yeah, let's go!" He vanished, Nami following suit. Only when they reappeared, it wasn't due to a clash between them. Instead, Sanji was between the both of them, Luffy's pipe warping his face from the impact and Nami's staff smacking square into his shoulders as she swung up to block.

Sanji crashed the deck as the two landed. "Oh Sanji-kuuuuuuun…" Nami sang sweetly, her voice positively angelic. She had a bright, happy smile on her face as she walked towards the downed blonde.

Sanji scrambled to look at her, hearts in his eyes, "Yes, Nami-swan?"

Just as he finished turning around, her staff cracked him across the nose and sent him hurtling away, "Damn it Sanji! It's been a week of this! Stop interrupting us!" She screamed at him, white-eyed and angry shark teeth in her mouth.

"I can't help it." Sanji sat up, "I can't bear to see a lady in danger, much less a goddess like you." He said solemnly.

Nami grit her teeth, "How am I supposed to get stronger if you keep interrupting our training!" She yelled at him, "Stop it! It's getting really annoying!" Sanji just had a stubborn look on his face, "IF YOU DON'T CUT IT OUT, I'LL REMOVE WHAT MAKES YOU A MAN AND MAKE YOU EAT IT!"

Sanji and the rest of the crew gasped, crossing their hands in front of their crotches, "Not his kintama!" Luffy yelped in fear.

"Nami-swan, you wouldn't!" Sanji looked rightfully terrified.

"TRY ME!" She screamed, before straightening up and blowing her bangs out of the way, "Now go rest you idiot! Luffy, let's go!" And finally, she and Luffy were able to train without having to do it in secret.

Hours later, everyone except for Luffy, Johnny, and Yosaku were exhausted, and Yosaku took the opportunity to finally ask the question that had been burning inside his mind, "Luffy-aniki! Why are we going to the Conomi Islands?! Isn't your dream to go to the Grand Line? This is in the opposite direction! The man who rules the Conomi Islands is terrifying!"

Luffy ignored him entirely, "So, shall we eat?" He asked Sanji cheerfully.

Yosaku and Johnny practically went into hysterics, "You're too naïve! Listen!" he yelled, "There's something about the Grand Line that you have to know! The reason the Grand Line is called the 'Pirate's Graveyard' is because of the three great powers! One of those powers is the Ōka Shichibukai!"

"Shichibukai?" Luffy asked quizzically.

"That's right…simply put, they're seven extremely powerful pirates who are sanctioned by the World Government!" Yosaku told them.

"Why the hell would the government permit pirates?" Sanji asked him.

The rest of the crew were listening in interest, except for Nami. She was leaning on the mast, stone-faced with her arms crossed. Johnny picked up where Yosaku left off, "As long as the Shichibukai give up a portion of their plunder, the government will look the other way with their actions. Other pirates hate them and call them the government's dogs, but they're all extremely strong! Dracule Mihawk who defeated Zoro-aniki is one of them!"

Yosaku took over, "But the problem is one of them specifically. His named is Jinbei, and he's the leader of the Fishmen Pirates!"

"Never met a Fishman." Luffy said idly.

Sanji had a goofy look on his face, "Fishmen huh? Fishman Island is a very popular place in the Grand Line isn't it? I've heard the most beautiful mermaids live there!"

Yosaku continued, "In return for becoming one of the Shichibukai, Jinbei let loose a terrifying monster in East Blue!"

But the rest of the Strawhats were no longer paying attention. Luffy had drawn a hideous fish with some weirdly drawn legs and feet and was showing it off, "Like this?"

Even Nami couldn't help herself. Her stone-faced facade broke and she started giggling helplessly, "What an ugly fish!"

" _IS IT PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO PAY ATTENTION?!_ " The two hunters roared. "We're headed to Arlong Park! Why are you so eager to fight him?!" Yosaku yelled, "Arlong once fought alongside the Shichibukai Jinbei! Don Krieg is a guppy compared to him!"

"How about this?" Luffy showed off another drawing, this time with less limbs.

"You just drew the last one standing up!" Sanji chuckled.

"BE SERIOUS YOU GUYS!" Johnny pleaded with them.

Luffy sighed, "We're going there so I can feed Arlong his nose." He repeated what he had said, while turning his head slightly to Nami. He crossed his arms and his head dipped enough that his hat hid his eyes.

"BUT WHY?!" Johnny yelled hysterically. No matter what he had seen, he just couldn't comprehend someone being stronger than _that_ monster. But he was thinking of Arlong's strength as being more on the higher side, like Jinbei. It couldn't have been more from the mark, but for someone in East Blue, he may as well have been correct.

Nami finally had enough, "You all know of the Conomi Islands as Arlong Park." She said, her eyes closed and her head down. She stopped leaning on the mast and walked forward, "I know of it only as home." Some of them gasped, but Luffy just continued looking solemn, "When I was ten, Arlong came to my home and took it over. He shot my mother between the eyes right in front of me." She uncrossed her arms and lifted her sleeve, revealing her tattoo, which now had four claw marks over it from when she had scratched down the mark, "He forced me onto his crew as his cartographer and made me pretend to be his friend, while telling me that if I gave him a hundred million Beli in one payment, he would free me and my town." Her face may as well have been carved from marble, "But I always suspected that he would find some way out of our deal…so now I'm going to get him before he does." She smiled softly as she gripped Luffy's hand. They shared a small smile before looking out at the rest of the crew. Sanji was – predictably – steaming mad. Johnny, Yosaku, and Usopp had tears streaming down their faces. And Zoro?

Zoro got up and walked away. Usopp gasped, and Nami even looked a little distraught, "Where are you going Zoro!"

"I'm sure we can get more wind out of these sails." He replied without stopping, "The ship's too slow."

Nami smiled in gratitude and joy, "Thank you guys." A singe tear dropped from her eye.

 **-]|[-**

"Everyone! We're close now!" Nami yelled, pointing off into the horizon.

"So, that's it huh?" Luffy said, from his place beside her. The island was still quite small, but it was growing larger every minute that they sailed forward. He punched his fists together, "I'm going to beat that fish so badly that he'll never come back."

"Not so fast!" Nami told him, "I purposely made sure that we came around the island's backside. Arlong Park is on the other side. Until the Merry is safe, we can't do anything. Fishmen will sink us before we can even react! They're ten times as powerful in the water!"

"Will they have a sentry?" Usopp asked her, looking out with his binoculars.

"They will have one." Nami told him, "So we'll have to do this a bit stealthily."

"Like ninja?!" Luffy gasped, before forming a weird hand signal, "Nin! Nin!"

Nami facepalmed, but she giggled, "Okay, Usopp, your eyes are the best right?"

Usopp crossed his arms, "Of course." He said proudly.

"Alright, I need you to pretend that you're on the island right now. As soon as you feel that you would be able to start picking up on our ship without a binocular, you need to tell me." Nami told him seriously.

Usopp gulped, realizing he had a big job this time. "Got it." He dipped his goggles down and settled them over his eyes, and he began straining. Around fifteen minutes passed before the island was close enough, "Nami, we've got probably five minutes before people over there start noticing that a ship is approaching."

Nami didn't respond verbally. Instead, she jumped straight off of the ship and dove into the water. Her idea worked _beautifully._ She may not have had a Fishman's gills or webbing, but she had something that was almost as good. Luffy.

She stayed under the water and applied the leg kicking lessons she learned from **Soru** and **Geppo** to speed her way towards the island. Every ten-kick application sent her forward hundreds of meters. Thankfully, she had grabbed a spare set of goggles from Usopp otherwise she would have been very uncomfortable to say the least. Every once in a while, she allowed herself to slow enough to lift her head out of the water and take a massive breath, before diving back down.

Soon, she was close enough that she saw him. He was a smaller size for a Fishman, and was clearly based off a seahorse. He was lazing about on the rocks she was headed to, occasionally taking a cursory scan of the ocean. He had a baby Den Den Mushi on his wrist.

She swam carefully and rested, until she was ready. She jumped up using **Geppo** and combined it with **Soru** to get on top of the Fishman. She didn't even know his name. He tried to jump up in a panic but she didn't let him. With a quick jab of her reinforced staff she smashed his windpipe. He clutched his throat in agony as another three quick swings bloodied his face. A forth whack to his temple had the Fishman out cold.

She sighed, and smiled before turning and waving at the ship. Usopp, who had expertly tracked her direction from her head showing as she surfaced to breathe, sighed in relief. "She did it!"

"Shishishi! Let's go!" Luffy called out. As they came close enough, he tossed Nami the rope he had been holding, and they watched as Nami proceeded to hogtie the nameless Fishman so thoroughly that he wouldn't be able to twitch so much as a finger. With a cheery little salute in his general direction, she backflipped back onto the _Merry_ , and continued guiding her the ship to safety.

She sighed in relief as they finally moored and disembarked, "Perfect." She said happily, "That was really the only thing I was worried about. Let's go to Cocoyashi!" She led them through the trees and rocks, but their good mood evaporated rapidly. She sighed as she took in the sight of the destroyed Gosa village. The village looked almost like a set, as if everything was fake. There were giant buildings and houses simply flipped over. They looked like giant models on a board game that had the table flipped and the pieces scattered.

Nami knew better. This was very real, and the loss of life had been great. "What happened here?" Luffy asked her, clearly not in very good mood.

"Arlong happened." She sighed, "A single person did not have enough money to pay Arlong a couple months ago. He flipped out and…well…flipped out." No one found the dark humor funny.

"A Fishman did this?!" Usopp was trembling in horror, "This is insane!" Suddenly he keeled over and fell to the dirt, and began wheezing, "Oh no, my ican'tgoanyfurtheritis is acting up!" Zoro didn't skip a step as he grabbed Usopp by the scruff of his neck and started hauling him forward, "No! Zoro! What are you doing!" He cried crocodile tears as they dragged him onward.

"Stop shouting you idiot. I don't want the Fishmen to know we're here yet." Nami grouched. They continued through Gosa, before making it to Cocoyashi, where people were milling about. Nami frowned as she took them in. They all looked even more defeated than usual, though some of them had looks of confused interest on them as they saw her crew. But most of them met eyes with her and then looked away in a strange mixture of rage and shame. It confused her. She was used to hateful glares whenever she came into town. This was new. Nami stopped one of them, "Hey, what's going on?"

He looked at her for a moment, before looking away, tears in his eyes, "You should go to Doctor Nako's house, Nami."

She stiffened, "Did something happen? Is my sister alright!"

"She's…alive." Tears started leaking from behind his closed eyelids, "She's not even all that injured but….just…go see them."

Nami trembled for a moment, before taking off at a good clip. The rest of the Strawhats followed, Luffy keeping an even pace right behind her. Nami got to Nako's house and slammed the doors open, "Nojiko!" She yelled, making all three of the people in the house jump. She took in the sight of them, all looking completely defeated. Genzo in particular looked like he had been put through the ringer. There were bags under his eyes and his uniform looked unkept. But at that moment, Nami only had eyes for her sister, who was looking pretty okay, if it wasn't for the bandages wrapped around her left leg. There were a pair of crutches next to her on the sofa, "Nojiko!" She cried out in relief, falling to her knees in front of her and grabbing her hands, "You're okay! I'm so glad!" She looked up at her sister's distraught face, "What happened? Who did this to you?!"

Nojiko's eyes teared up at the utter relief she saw in her sister's gaze, and the flood works opened up. Luffy had followed her in while the rest of the crew and the two hunters had waited outside. He stood there with his arms crossed, and his face like stone, "I…I'm sorry Nami!" Nojiko sobbed as she wrapped her sister up in an embrace, "It…it's gone! It's all gone!"

Nami looked shocked, her arms flailing a little, before she wrapped them around her sister, "Gone? What do you mean? What's gone?"

"Your money." Genzo's hoarse voice came from the side. "The money that was supposed to save us all…" He was looking down at the floor, and refused to meet her eyes as she pulled away from Nojiko. She stared at him, open mouthed, jaw working up and down soundlessly. He looked up, tears in his gaze, "Are you surprised, Nami? Did you really think _any_ person in the entire village thought you would willingly work for that murderer? We got the full story from Nojiko the second you went out on your first trip. We all knew all along! We never said anything to make sure it wouldn't pressure you. To make sure you had an out if it ever became too much." He started to sob, "And that son of a bitch broke your heart. He broke everyone's hearts! He sent his corrupt Marine lackeys here three days ago. They tore up Bell-mère's mikan groves and took all the money you've spent the last eight years gathering."

Nami was looking down, her face shadowed. Her fists were clenched on her thighs. Nojiko sounded despondent, "When we tried to stop them, one of them shot me in the thigh." Her sobs hadn't let up in the slightest, "I'm sorry Nami! All your hard work…and it was all for nothing…everything is gone…" The two of them sounded utterly defeated, and the looks of rage and shame they saw coming in now made sense.

Everyone had known all along. She started to laugh. It bubbled out of her, quite against her will. The three villagers stared in abject disbelief as she threw her head back and cackled like a mad witch. They looked away, obviously thinking the poor girl was having a mental breakdown at the thought of eight years of her life vanishing in a puff of smoke. Finally, Nami settled down and faced the ceiling, her eyes closed. She had a peaceful smile on her face, before her eyes snaped open. She got to her feet and started walking away, "Let's go." She told Luffy, who opened the door and led her out.

"Nami!" Nojiko gasped.

"Where are you going, Nami!" Genzo called out to her as he scrambled to follow.

Nami stopped at the door, "Isn't it obvious?" She turned back, a confident smile on her face, "We're going to destroy Arlong Park!" Genzo started and his jaw dropped.

And without another word, she walked outside. She was a step behind Luffy, though she took the lead so she could show them where they were actually going. Zoro was sitting on some crates, with his katana standing up in front of him. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with all the buttons undone, showing off all of his bandages. Sanji was smoking one of his cigarettes and looking up at the beautiful sky. Usopp was sitting on the ground, his head down, and his arms crossed. On his back was Krieg's giant spear with a little handle sticking out of it near his head. All signs of it having belonged to the madman were gone, replaced with the Straw Hat Jolly Roger on one side and his own Jolly Roger on the other. Neither of them broke step as Luffy called out, "Let's go!"

The three Strawhats all followed, "Roger."

Genzo rushed out from behind them, looking equal parts exhilarated, furious, and terrified, "ARM YOURSELVES!" He roared, and the villagers cheered, rushing for their makeshift hidden weapons in eagerness for the fight ahead.

Nami was tempted to tell them not to bother, but instead she turned to Johnny and Yosaku, who met up with them a little further ahead, "You two, keep them out of it." She jerked her head towards the following villagers. Even Nojiko was among them, slowly following beside Nako on her crutches. If they were all going to die, then she was going to do it beside her sister.

"You got it sis." They told her, forcing her to stifle a growl.

The massive procession went through the entire town and further out, close to the coastlines of the island. That's when they saw it. It was a massive, sprawling, gated compound. An equally massive pair of steel gates decorated with images of sea life stood closed in front of them. Luffy overtook Nami and everyone who hadn't seen him in action before gasped as his right leg started glowing. Every step he took made a clear imprint of his sandal, burned into the very dirt itself. With a look of utter fury on his face, Luffy jumped up and swung his leg in a roundhouse kick, " **Enten no Kizu**!" A massive arc of plasma – bigger than any Rankyaku he had showed any of them so far – screamed through the air. The crescent shaped arc of plasma raced forward and hit the wall. A massive plume of smoke and fire roared out, blasting burning wood and sizzling lumps of hot metal into the compound. Several Fishmen were taken out immediately, before they could even scream. When the smoke cleared, the gate itself had vanished while most of the wall was utterly demolished.

Luffy landed behind Nami just as she assembled her staff with one hand and jumped into the compound, "I'm home!" She called cheerily. The people behind the crew all stared with dropped jaws and their eyes popping out.

The biggest Fishman looked pissed. He had vicious-looking teeth, a saw-like nose, and light blue skin. He was wearing a floral print shirt, dark green shorts, and a brown Ushanka. He had a huge, dark red sun tattooed onto his left pec as well as a stylized saw-nosed shark on his left arm. Arlong, who had narrowly avoided getting smashed in the head with a piece of rubble, turned to her with veined, angry eyes, "Nami…what are you doing? Do you mean to tell me that you've betrayed me?"

Nami scoffed, "Betrayed? Don't be so full of yourself Arlong. You have to be _loyal_ to something to betray it." She smirked at his dark, furious look, "Oh what's wrong? Did you actually think I was one of you? That I would be your friend if you showered me in clothes and food?" A vein was bulging dangerously on Arlong's forehead, "Well sorry, you bastard. My mother's in a grave because of you."

Luffy pushed past her, brushing against her shoulder. She shot his back an affectionate grin, "So, you're Arlong huh?"

Arlong turned his furious gaze to him, "That's right? Who the hell are you, you filthy human?"

"I'm Luffy. A pirate." Luffy stalked forward, his fists clenching by his side, "I'm Nami's Captain." He blurred forward, slipping right through every single member of the Arlong pirates without them even noticing. He reappeared in front of Arlong, whose eyes widened in shock, "AND YOU MADE MY NAVIGATOR CRY!"

WHAM

Arlong's face molded itself around Luffy's fist. His entire face distended and he swore he felt a dozen tiny hairline fractures appear on his cheekbones. The blow lifted him clean off his throne and sent him flying through one of the marble pillars holding up their shade. He hit the ground and rolled, digging a trench into his perfectly maintained grass before coming to a stop by impacting into the wall on the other side of the compound. He crashed into it – spread eagle – and cratered it in the shape of his body, with cracks beginning to radiate out from his impact zone. A small bit of blood flew from his gaping gob.

Luffy opened his fist before slowly closing it again as he stalked forward like a predator. Cracks rang through the air as his knuckles popped. He completely ignored the small fry, having eyes only for Arlong. Several of the Fishmen grunts roared out in anger, and drew weapons, charging at him.

Nami appeared in front of Luffy's back, her staff already swinging into action. With a single swipe, teeth shattered and flew as one more Fishman was taken out of the fight immediately. She vanished again and appeared above another, her right leg pointing to the air. She crashed down and smashed her heel right into his skull, sending him hurtling into the dirt and digging a hole from her picture perfect axe-kick. Without even landing she vanished again, reappearing next to a Fishman and clotheslining him in the throat with her staff. In the same motion she swung low and did a spin kick, taking out an enemy's legs and sending him into the air. "SHIT!" He roared in shock as Nami's staff practically folded him in half. Spittle flew from his unconscious form, the whites of his eyes the only things visible.

The residents of Cocoyashi village trembled in utter shock. "Is…is that really Nami?" Nojiko gasped. She…she had gotten so _strong_! She was utterly _manhandling_ the grunts of the Arlong Pirates. Who were these people she had befriended? How had one of them sent Arlong's giant, hulking form flying with a single punch?

A Fishman who was bigger than most of the others was gritting his teeth in rage and could take it no more. He charged forward, howling his fury, "NAMI YOU TRAITOROUS BITCH! I KNEW WE SHOULD HAVE DROWNED YOU WHEN WE HAD THE CHANCE!" He was a grey-skinned, somewhat-short but very bulky Fishman named Kurobi. He had black hair and a red sun tattooed on his chest. His elbows had fins extending from them and he wore a dark blue karate gi. He was leaping at her, his fist extended and ready to take her goddamn head clean off.

Sanji appeared in front of a smiling Nami and his dress shoes imprinted themselves on Kurobi's face. "I'm sorry, who exactly were you calling a bitch?" He looked quite pissed off, "I won't stand idly if you plan to insult and hurt a lady." His hands were in his pockets as he lowered his foot, watching as Kurobi rolled back to his feet and dabbed at his bleeding nose.

"Guh." Kurobi flinched momentarily from the stinging, before focusing on Sanji, "So, you're stronger than the average human huh? Doesn't matter." He hissed, "You inferior humans are all the same! You can't even breathe underwater!" He charged forward and threw a punch out, looking to lay out Sanji in one hit.

Sanji dodged and threw a kick which was blocked by Kurobi's fin, "A damn fish shouldn't be yammering to a chef!"

While they were fighting, an octopus Fishman with pink skin, six arms, and a massive, protruding mouthpiece named Hachi grabbed his lips, "You idiots! Come out, my powerful monster! Come out, Mohmoo!" He began trumpeting using his own mouth.

Nami winced, "Damn it Usopp. I really wish you had finished my new weapon instead of playing around with that stupid spear."

She – along with everyone else, including the panicking villagers – watched as the massive sea cow that had laid waste to Gosa Village rose from the deep pool connecting to the ocean. Gallons upon gallons of water dripped from its form, "Moo!" It looked just like a cow too, except it's lower half was a fish tail and a flexible ridge ran up its spine and onto its head. It had flippers instead of hooves and its large, round nose had a golden ring in it. Its spots were also green, rather than black.

"Oh Mohmoo!" Nami called sweetly, waving at the giant pet, "You may want to leave you know. I'm sure you're smart enough to realize when a ship is sinking."

Mohmoo eyed her, and then cast its gaze around Arlong Park. It noticed Arlong crushed into one of the back walls with someone approaching him, as well as the downed grunts. But to his eyes, Arlong looked pissed more than hurt, and it had seen the grunts go down before, "MOO!" It roared, opening up a gaping maw with giant, sharp teeth. It dove for Nami.

She grit her teeth and jumped forward, meeting the giant cow head on with a blisteringly fast swing of her staff. The giant sea cow rocked back, but it just looked even more angry than before now. Nami may have been getting a lot stronger, but her hits were nowhere near the level of even Sanji's, "Catch me if you can, Mohmoo!" She called as she flipped over it and used **Geppo** to make it seem like she was running on the water. She led the giant sea cow away, to the gobsmacked looks of the rest of her village.

Hachi grabbed a massive, hulking piece of rubble, " **Octopus Black…on the rocks!** " he roared, bringing the gigantic slab down, looking to crush Zoro. He simply slashed upwards. His sword never touched the concrete, but it split in two all the same. "Grrr…who the hell are you?"

Zoro held his katana in front of him with a confident grin, "Roronoa Zoro!"

The octopus gasped, "Zoro? The user of Santoryu?" He grinned, "My name is Hatchan, and I'm the worst opponent for any swordsman. It'll be an honor to kill you!"

"You guys aren't going to be doing any killing." Zoro grinned back, "That's our line."

The last of Arlong's officers was a light blue Fishman with thick, protruding red lips named Chew. He sucked in a lot of air, getting ready to unleash a water cannon at the traitorous woman who was rapidly vanishing from sight. He never got the chance. _Something_ hit him and exploded, sending him crashing to his back. "Y-Your opponent is me!" Usopp said through chattering teeth. "How do you like my **Kayaku Boshi**?"

Chew sat up, basically uninjured, "You're looking to DIE AREN'T YOU! ALLOW ME TO MAKE IT QUICK!" He got to his feet and began chasing after a terrified Usopp, who had his arms waving in the air. The two quickly vanished from sight, leaving puzzled villagers staring at their retreating forms blankly.

Zoro and Hachi began fighting in earnest, with Zoro dodging out of the way of sticky black ink fired from the octopus Fishman's mouth. "I'll end this quickly, takoyaki!" Zoro yelled, swinging _Wado_ at Hachi's head.

Hachi gasped and ducked, but two of the five spikes that made up his hairstyle were cut off, "Nyuuu! My hair!" He grabbed at his head, "You bastard! I'll! I'll forgive you." He said cheerily, "It's only hair. It'll grow back. The important thing is that I'm still alive!" He charged forward.

"How kind of you." Zoro deadpanned, before he grimaced and started panting.

Sanji twitched as he caught it out of the corner of his eye, ' _That idiot._ ' He dodged one of Kurobi's punches and retaliated with a kick.

"You know, Roronoa Zoro…I'm quite strong against swordsmen. Do you know why?" Hachi asked Zoro.

"Like hell I do!" Zoro charged and swung down.

Hachi got into a horse-stance with all six of his arms ready, " **Octopus three continuous naked sword catching technique!** " He clapped all six of his hands together and caught Zoro's katana. Or he would have, if Zoro was a weaker man. The sword slipped right through his palms and slashed his forehead, "OWWW!"

"Stop playing around, idiot!" Zoro yelled at him with shark teeth.

Hachi used his six hands to display nine digits, " **Tako Hachi number nine…suction cup!** " He completely dodged Zoro's slash and stuck himself to one of the pillars, upside down.

Zoro growled angrily, "Get your ass down here this instant!" He roared. When Hachi showed no signs of moving, he growled and swung his sword, " **Sanjuroku Pound Ho!** " An air blade flew towards the octopus man, who panicked and leapt back to the ground. The air blade sliced through the pillar and part of Arlong Park's main building. The cut section slid off and crashed to the floor. Hachi was about to say something, when he noticed Zoro had fallen to his knees and was clutching his chest. That move had really been too much for Zoro. His injury started to open up again. He grit his teeth and forced himself up, "Damn it…why now of all times?"

"…What are you doing, Roronoa Zoro?" Hachi eyed his bandages, which had slowly started to stain red, "…Do you really intend to fight with an injury as bad as that one that must be?"

Sanji grit his teeth as the rest of the people there stared at him in surprise, "That damn idiot. I knew he was faking."

On the sidelines, Yosaku was gritting his teeth in panic, "His wounds are just too deep! They haven't healed over yet!"

Johnny growled at him, "Of course they haven't!" He snapped, "An injury like that would take a normal man six months to heal from, if it didn't kill him outright! He must have been enduring the pain this entire time!"

"I knew something was up when that idiot just kept acting norm-grrhhh" Sanji groaned out as Kurobi took advantage of his distracted state to punch him in the chest. He flew out past the gathering from Cocoyashi and landed on the dirt.

"You shouldn't take your eyes off of your opponent." Kurobi chided him, "I'm a level forty Fishman Karate practitioner."

"Damn cook!" Zoro panted, "Pay attention to your own fight!" He gripped his katana with steady hands, which defied Hachi's sense of belief.

"How can you hold that blade so steadily?" He eyed the deep red stain on Zoro's front. "If you really intend to fight like that, then I won't disrespect your decision. You wait right there, Roronoa Zoro." With that, he jumped through one of Arlong Park's windows. Zoro fell to his knees, panting heavily.

Elsewhere, Luffy stood in front of Arlong, who swung his arms out from their rubble prison and broke himself free. He growled angrily, showing off his sharp teeth. His muscles were bulging hideously, "Your little crewmates don't seem to be doing so well." He taunted, "Why don't you join them in hell!" He roared, raising a fist and bringing it screaming down towards Luffy's head. Luffy met his punch head on with one of his own. The impact sent out a shockwave that demolished the ground they were standing on and broke even more of the already broken wall behind Arlong. A sickening crack rang through the air and Arlong pulled back, howling. His right hand was trembling, bent downward at the wrist. His fingers weren't looking too good either, as they hung limply except for his thumb.

"Shishishi, why would I do that? You think a crappy little punch like that could take down Sanji?" Luffy laughed, "My brother hit harder than that when he was twelve."

Back near the center of the courtyard, Zoro grit his teeth as Hachi landed in front of them, showing off his six swords. Zoro's face was shadowed as he took his bandana off his arm and tied it onto his head, "Let me tell you something, little octopus…There's a man I have to meet again, no matter what…and until I do, **not even the grim reaper will take me.** " He yelled back at his two old partners, "Yosaku, Johnny! Lend me your swords!" He grinned confidently at Hachi, "Let me show you my Santoryu."

"Aniki's wounds are bad. He's in critical condition." Yosaku said, "With those wounds and the fever he probably has, he shouldn't even be standing. If they reopen, he'll die for sure."

"Now's not the time to be worrying about that." Johnny retorted, "He's the only one who can cut through this crisis!" He held up his sword, mirrored by his partner.

Behind them all, Sanji sat up. He was bleeding lightly, but didn't appear to be in any real pain, "Level forty huh? How weak. The geezer's kicks back at the _Baratie_ must have been level four-hundred."

"You got it aniki!" The both of them tossed their dadao forward.

Zoro stood there, panting, ' _Shit…I'm losing it. I thought moving around would lower my fever but it's only gotten worse._ '

Johnny and Yosaku panicked, "ANIKI! WE ALREADY THREW THE SWORDS. CATCH THEM! WATCH OUT!"

Hachi growled angrily, "You look tired Zoro! I'll show you the insurmountable gap in skill between us! Your two arms will only hinder you against this Rokuryu! **Tako-ashi kiken!** " His flexible arms looked like noodles as they danced in the air. He started a barrage of slices with his six swords.

Zoro caught the flying swords at the very last moment, " **Santoryu…Toro Nagashi**!" he blocked all of the blades and appeared behind Hachi. The two stood still, back to back, before Hachi's front erupted in a geyser of blood.

"He got by! To be able to block all six blades coming from all directions…! He's amazing!" The two hunters yelled.

"Nyuu!" Hachi yelled, "Now you've really made me mad!" He was gritting his teeth and veins were bulging on his forehead, around the large sun that was tattooed there, "I swear I'll kill you! Just think about it logically! There's no way three blades can beat six!"

Zoro chuckled, a flash of Mihawk's face appearing in his mind, "Logic? I think you've made a miscalculation." He stared Hachi down without a waver in his posture, despite the fact that he probably should have already gone down long ago, "You may have more blades, but my swords are heavier. Not even three of your swords matches the weight of one of mine."

Hachi began to laugh, "I'm being underestimated! You think yours swords are heavier than mine! You're a fool! They may not look it, but these swords all weight over three hundred kilograms! They're far heavier than any human blade!"

Zoro almost cringed at the answer, "Hmph. There's no use explaining it to a fool. I have nothing to say to an idiot who can't even understand that."

Hachi held all swords directly in front of him, the tips touching and almost forming what looked like a barrel, " **Octopus Pot Stance: New Year's…** " He charged forward, looking like he wanted to drill straight through Zoro with his technique. Zoro blocked with two of his blades, but there was only triumph in Hachi's gaze, " **Octopus Opener!** " He swung all his swords backwards and consequently opened a massive hole in Zoro's defenses as his arms were flung back, "BODY SLAM!" He head-butted Zoro square in the chest.

Blood squirted from Zoro's mouth and nose as his friends and the townsfolk panicked. He got launched into the air and began falling, "I won't give you a safe landing Roronoa Zoro!" Hachi yelled, " **Six Swords Style: Six Swords Waltz!** " The six blades began spinning above Hachi, like a soon-to-be-macabre windmill, "You'll be mincemeat when you touch them!" Zoro was seconds away from death when his entire body started tumbling in midair. His own swords started slamming into the propeller of death and when he landed, he was on his feet, one knee on the floor, and Hachi's hands were all bleeding. His swords were all clattering to the floor, "Nyuuu!" He grabbed his swords again, "You bastard. You slashed my hands! NOW I REALLY, REALLY CAN'T FORGIVE YOU! I'M NOT A CIRCUS ACT! OCTOPUS POT STANCE!"

' _I can't afford to die._ ' Zoro panted, ' _Even if this would kill an ordinary person…I can NOT FALL!_ ' Zoro lifted his swords, all of them pointing in the same direction to his side. A ghostly image of a dragon appeared behind him, ' _In order to defeat the extraordinary…I CANNOT BE ORDINARY!_ ' Hachi had charged forward with his swords, and the second before he reached him Zoro began to spin. Every single one of Hachi's swords shattered into dozens of shards, " **TATSUMAKI!** " Hachi's heavy body lifted straight into the air via a razor sharp whirlwind. More and more tiny slices appeared on his body before the wind could no longer keep him afloat and he crashed into the dirt, completely unconscious as he was enveloped by a plume of dirt and rocks.

Zoro panted and almost fell over, but he righted himself just in time, "Now do you get it, takoyaki? You see the difference between our blades now, don't you?"

Kurobi rushed towards Zoro, getting ready to break his skull with one hit, but he was forced to dodge a final **Sanjuroku Pound Ho** from Zoro as he finally fell. Kurobi snarled, "HOW DARE YOU DEFEAT MY BRETHREN!" He eyed the deep gouge in the ground with enraged eyes. He couldn't tell if the man had even been serious or not, despite that wound. A human like this could not be allowed to exist! He charged forward again, only to be met with a teeth-shattering strong kick from Sanji.

Sanji's smoke was wafting from his mouth, "Now, I know you weren't about to hurt this idiot, right?"

Kurobi rubbed his aching jaw in rage, "You…I thought I killed you?"

Sanji scoffed, "Please, as if a punch that weak could hurt me. You probably couldn't even kill Patty and Carne."

Kurobi growled, "I'm being underestimated…" He got into a karate stance, "Whether on land or in the sea, Fishmen cannot be beat by you inferior humans. Once I kill you I'll kill Zoro, and that long-nosed idiot, that brat who hit Arlong, and every single one of the villagers who dared rebel!" He grinned, "And of course, I'll kill that bitch Nami too for betraying our trust, if Mohmoo hasn't already eaten her! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SAVE A SINGLE PERSON WITH YOUR FAKE CHIVALRY!"

Sanji vanished with **Soru** , " **Collier**!" He yelled from above a suddenly-wide-eyed Kurobi. His foot slammed straight into the Fishman's gills, sending him to the floor screaming in pain.

Kurobi quickly rolled out of the way of an axe kick, looking furious, "I'll kill you with the essence of Fishman Karate! Earlier, it was my **Hyakumaigawara Seiken** that sent you flying! You'll never be able to withstand my **Senmaigawara Seiken**! I'll kill you in a single blow!" He gathered power behind his fist, and then sent it screaming forwards. The air whistled from the speed and power as it hurtled towards Sanji, but it never hit home.

Sanji appeared behind Kurobi in a burst of speed and dropped to a one handed handstand position. He began spin, " **Cotelette**! **Selle**!" A hit to the back of Kurobi's legs sent him into the air, howling in pain. A second hit to the back bent him backwards in quite the wrong direction. Kurobi's eyes were white and his mouth was gaping as he howled with what little air he had in his lungs. " **Poitrine**!" Sanji flipped above the floating Fishman and slammed his heel into his breast, sending him crashing into the floor hard enough to shatter it. As his body flopped back up in a kneeling position from the impact, Sanji gave him a running kick to the chest, " **Gigot**!"

Kurobi hurtled backwards and rolled, rising to his feet, "You bastard! Take this! **Senmaigawara Sei** -"

Sanji blurred into existence in front of him at a blistering pace, " **Mutton shot**!" A hard kick to the face finished the fight, sending Kurobi hurtling through the wall and into dreamland, "Who did you say you were going to kill again?" He muttered darkly as he lit up a cigarette, "Don't want any dessert?"

 **-]|[-**

"Chuuu…that was more trouble than it was worth. You couldn't even stand a single shot of my water gun." Chew stood above the bloody, broken form of Usopp. He had chased the brat all the way to the farmlands. "You ran pretty fast, but it still wasn't enough to save you. Too bad, so sad. Well, at least you got a quick death." He turned, "Well, time to head back. I wonder if they're finished by now."

Usopp lay there with his eyes open, ' _Phew! My **Ketchup Boshi** worked like a charm. He thinks his stupid water gun hit me!_ ' He risked turning his head a little, and saw Chew leisurely strolling away, ' _What a terrifying race. They flipped an entire town. Sorry Nami, I want to help. But I'd rather not die._ ' He sat up, "I already have this ketchup 'blood' on me, but it could probably look more convincing." He started rubbing dirt on himself and scuffing up his skin, "To make it seem like the battle was a fight to the death… I wonder what I should say when I get back?" He wondered, "Maybe something like, ' _My bad, I ended up losing._ '"

 _I told you I wanted you as my sniper, didn't I?_ Luffy's face swam in his vision.

"Or maybe ' _Damn it, that guy just barely got away from me!_ ' would be better!" His head dipped, "' _Don't cry, Nami…We tried our hardest!_ '"

 _I'd rather die._ This time it was Zoro's face, clutching his sword through clenched teeth.

"' _We've all fought well._ '" Tears started building up in Usopp's eyes behind his goggles.

 _I won't stand idly if you plan to insult and hurt a lady._ Sanji's confident face popped up, ready to take on the world for their navigator.

"' _No, no, my wounds are nothing to worry about._ '" His entire body began to tremble.

 _He shot my mother between the eyes right in front of me._

Steam almost shot from his nose, ' _I'm so pathetic!_ ' He jumped up to his feet, "STOP RIGHT THERE YOU HALF FISH FREAK!" he roared, ' _The moment I stepped onto that boat, I left peace and security behind! They risk their lives and give it their all, every damn day! Kaya would be ashamed of me! **I'm ashamed of me!**_ '

Chew halted, and half-turned, "Oh, so you were still alive? Chu…"

"As if a little attack from a half fish bastard could ever hit me!" Usopp yelled back, ' _They can all laugh from the bottom of their hearts! Isn't that what I always wanted as well? Isn't that why I set out?! If I don't fight seriously, I can never sail with them again, NOR CAN I LAUGH WITH THEM!_ ' " **Hissatsu! Kaen Boshi!** " He yelled as he drew the rubber and let loose the star.

Chew had been rushing towards him, aiming to take him out in one hit, but he had been surprised by how quickly and accurately Usopp was able to fire it. Instead of knocking the human head over heels in a single hit as planned, he ate a full flame star right in the face and was horribly burned by it. He howled in agony as he clutched his aching face, but Usopp was caught by such surprise at actually damaging his opponent that he didn't capitalize on it.

He would regret that dearly. An enraged Chew charged forward at a much faster speed than ever before and smashed his fist square into Usopp's nose, squishing it flat. Usopp literally flipped from the impact and landed on his stomach, blood spurting from his face. Chew turned with an enraged look in his eyes, "Idiot. You should have just pretended to be dead. Now I'm going to tear you limb from limb!" He roared as he stalked forward like an angry tiger.

"I'm done…" Usopp muttered.

"That's right!" Chew yelled and kicked him in the ribs, "You're done alright! Done living!"

"It's over! Usopp Hammer!" He yelled and smashed his decently heavy metal hammer into Chew's kneecap. Chew howled and clutched his leg as he hopped on one hand, "Usopp Rubber Band of Doom!" Chew flinched and closed his eyes, before his brain caught up.

He opened his eyes and saw that Usopp was gone, "GOD DAMN IT! HOW COULD I FALL FOR SUCH A STUPID TRICK! COME OUT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He heard a whirling sound, and turned, catching a bottle, "Rum? Is this a peace offering, you little shit?"

" **Hissatsu! Namari Boshi!** " Usopp's voice rang out as the bottle shattered and dumped alcohol all over him.

The alcohol stung on his burns and it pissed him off even more, "You're dead you inferior little brat!" He faced the trees, before he dipped his protruding mouth into the water meant for irrigation, "It doesn't matter where you're hiding! I'll flush you out!" He started sucking up _massive_ amounts of water, inflating almost like a balloon.

In the trees, Usopp was glaring at the giant battle spear he had on his back, "This thing is too big and clunky! I almost got caught!" He shook his head, "It doesn't matter! The man 'Usopp' can't run away from this fight! I'm a real pirate now! If I lose I'll die!"

" **MIZU TAIHO!** " Chew's voice rang out, and Usopp gasped as an entire section of the forest utterly vanished.

"WHERE'S THE FOREST?!" He yelped.

Chew stared at his exposed head with a twitchy eye, "I feel as if I'm being mocked…" He muttered, "He showed himself on his own…Why do I have to fight an idiot like him?!" He spat out another ball of water, " **Mizu Taiho**!"

Usopp grabbed the battle spear by its extending pole and swung it. He definitely didn't have the strength for extended use, but he _just_ managed to connect. A massive explosion rang out from the impact of the water cannon and the spear. Usopp got flung into a tree while Chew slid back a couple feet. "Ugh…" Usopp groaned, allowing a puff of black smoke to escape his mouth. He looked a little crispy, "Bad idea." The battle spear clattered to the dirt next to him. He raised a shaky hand and put it back onto his back, its pole retracting.

Chew ran over and held a giant tree trunk over his head, ready to smash Usopp, "Yeah, it really was. It's game over."

Usopp grinned, "Yeah, it is. Alcohol is flammable! **Hissatsu! Kaen Boshi!** " Chew ignited into brilliant flames, and this time, they didn't extinguish. His clothes were bathed in alcohol and wouldn't go out. Chew began rolling around, screaming at the top of his lungs. He began running for water, "Usopp Hammer!" Usopp jumped next to him and smashed him in the face with his hammer. Both of them landed in the water.

"Ugh…" Chew groaned, and tried to get up.

Usopp panicked and dropped his hammer, reaching for the spear again. " **Usopp Exploding Pound**!" He swung it down as hard as he could. A massive explosion rang through the clearing once more, sending up a plume of smoke and mist. Usopp crashed into a tree and the battle spear landed in another tree around a hundred feet away. He puffed out a lot of black smoke, before raising his goggles with trembling fingers. He looked like a reverse panda, as his regular skin color was surrounded by black soot that covered his entire face, "M…maybe I should not use that thing anymore…" He mumbled weakly. He staggered to his feet and went to go check on Chew. The mist cleared, revealing the Fishman. His face was mangled beyond recognition and horrible burns marred his body. He was clearly not going to be getting up again for a good, long while.

Usopp trembled, before he collapsed backwards, "I…I won?" He said in wonder. A blinding grin split his face, "I WON! EVEN I COULD WIN! YOU SEE THAT YOU BASTARD FISHMEN?! DON'T YOU DARE UNDERESTIMATE ME!"

 **-]|[-**

"Damn it guys! Why do I have to fight the Sea Cow! You could knock it out in one hit!" Nami screamed as Mohmoo once again caught up to her and dove – maw opened wide – to swallow her whole. She used **Soru** to speed out of the way, and started hopping on the water, which she realized was much easier to do than hopping on the air. She tracked the Sea Cow through the water and got ready to move again, jumping straight up into the air as Mohmoo breeched and sent whole pools worth of water exploding into the air. It reached its peak and fell back down long before Nami did. She rubbed her face in irritation, "I don't mind fighting anymore, but I'd at least like a chance. This thing is way too big for me to hurt." She mumbled.

"MOO!" Mohmoo roared at her from down below, and slapped the water with its tail, flinging water at her. It didn't even get close to her.

"Well, here goes nothing…" She deadpanned, before sending her rocketing down. Her staff caught it right between the eyes so hard that a shockwave spread through the ocean. It was so hard even her reinforced staff developed some cracks and her arms trembled. Her hands felt numb. And Mohmoo? Mohmoo just roared and started freaking out, "DAMN IT!" She cried as she dashed away from the wild beast, "I'm going to kill Usopp! I can't hit this thing hard enough to take it out!"

Mohmoo kept thrashing and churning up the ocean, before Nami got an idea. It would suck…she would hate every second of it…but it might work, "HEY MOHMOO! I'M RIGHT HERE!" She screamed, wagging her tongue at it.

"MOO!" The Sea Cow charged. Nami waited, right up until its head was descending to eat her, before jumping back and then using **Geppo** straight up. Her hands wrapped around Mohmoo's nose ring and it was in for a _really bad day_. "MOOOOOOOOO!" Mohmoo wailed in agony as Nami wrenched its nose ring this way and that way with **Geppo**. Its thrashing didn't help it in that regard, because it just allowed Nami to stop doing any work. Finally, her hands slipped from the ring and she was flung backwards at the water. She smacked into it with a cry of pain and sank, before righting herself and leaping back out.

"Well, that certainly wor-WHY ARE YOU CRYING!" Her thoughts to herself changed into angry screaming as she looked at Mohmoo with white eyes and shark teeth.

Mohmoo just sat there and stared at her, tears in its eyes and a little bit of blood coming from its nose, "Moo…" It mumbled sadly.

She stared at it, completely deadpan…before she facepalmed and pointed out at the open ocean, "Just…just get out of here you stupid adorable lug."

"Moo…" It said mournfully.

"You're just as afraid of Arlong as I was." She realized with exasperation, "You're huge, but you're really a softy deep down aren't you?" She shook her head, "Just get out of here Mohmoo! Go be free! Arlong isn't going to be around anymore! Someone much scarier than him likes me much better!"

"Moo!" With one final cry, the massive Sea Cow turned and dove, disappearing into the depths with a gigantic splash.

She sighed, "Well, that ended well." She deadpanned, before turning and kicking her way back to Arlong Park.

 **-]|[-**

She arrived back around the same time as Usopp did, "Nami! Did you win too?!" He called out in sheer excitement. He was covered in soot, but he seemed elated.

She wanted to go over and smack him good, but it did look like he actually _used_ that stupid battle spear, so she could forgive him. Every Fishman sans Arlong was down, and he would follow soon after, "Of course!" She smirked confidently, exchanging a high five.

"Nami…" A familiar voice grabbed her attention. She turned and smiled happily at her sister, who was looking at her as if she had seen a ghost, "Nami…what happened to you?"

Nami grinned and turned back, "Hope." She eyed Luffy who was still facing off against Arlong, and the Fishman did _not_ look like he was enjoying himself, "Watch closely sis…he's the one who made this all possible."

Arlong and Luffy were engaged in a furious fist fight at the moment. Arlong's muscles were bulging dangerously, and he looked more furious than anyone there had ever seen him. His eyes were blood red and he was covered in bruises, "WHY! WON'T! YOU! **DIE**!" The Fishman roared, punching at Luffy so hard that it shattered concrete.

Luffy casually inclined his head to the left to dodge the fist, and smashed his own into Arlong's gut so hard that his arm was a mere blur. The hit lifted Arlong clean off his feet and forced bloody spittle from his lips, but Luffy didn't give him any respite. A second punch to his side clearly broke ribs judging from the sickening crack that rang through the air. A third punch to the face sent Arlong soaring across the courtyard into the pool. The people of the village stiffened, knowing that Arlong was now ten times as strong as he had been.

They saw Arlong's fin as the shark swam in the water, allowing it to reinvigorate him. He grinned, allowing some blood to escape into the ocean, "Filthy human. Do you have any idea how angry you've made me? You won't die easily." He rose up with cupped hands, " **O Uchimizu**!" Two massive 'bullets' of water shot forward at a blistering speed.

Luffy's eyes narrowed, and before the bullets had reached him, they vaporized. "Stop playing in your little pond, you stupid shark." Arlong snarled angrily, "You hurt Nami, and I'm going to kick your ass!"

"You inferior human!" Arlong roared, visibly getting even more hulking and angry than before, "Don't you know the difference between Fishmen and humans? Do you not realize how angry-"

" **Enten no Higan!** " A blast of plasma forced Arlong under the water with wide eyes. The water instantly began to vaporize where the beam touched and boil nearby. Arlong howled in agony as his flesh started to cook. Half of his body looked completely discolored now. He darted away from the hot water as fast as he could. "GET UP HERE, ARLONG!" Luffy roared angrily, "If you don't I'll boil you out of there!"

"Oii, Luffy!" Sanji called, "You can't just boil shark! I haven't even seasoned him yet!"

Arlong – furious beyond reason at having not only been interrupted in his Fishman Superiority Rant but having been _injured_ by a filthy human – swam like a torpedo straight out of the water, " **SHARK ON DARTS!** " His entire body was horizontal, an arrow aimed straight for Luffy's heart. His nose gleamed in the sunlight as his body cut through the air, looking to spear this damn Paramecia straight _through_ Arlong Park.

Luffy grinned and raised a hand. It closed in a vice-grip around Arlong's nose, the impact pushing the two of them back roughly three meters. But their momentum cut and all Arlong could see was Luffy's fist around his nose and that damnable, supremely confident grin of his.

WHAM!

Luffy first smashed Arlong's knees into the ground hard enough to crater it. Then, he slammed his knee into the massive shark Fishman's sternum. Air and spittle were both forced from the Fishman's mouth in a wheeze, before another knee almost had his eyes pop out. His arms flopped uselessly to his sides. Luffy grinned as he remembered the conversation he had with Nami that first morning after she told him what Arlong had done to her… _"Arlong is very proud of that nose of his. I've personally seen him spear straight through a Marine ship and sink it. His crew says it's unbreakable."_

"I told Nami and my crew I would be feeding you your own nose." Luffy said, almost conversationally. _That_ woke Arlong from his daze, but he couldn't get a word in edge-wise. For the first time, a human's grin terrified him, "I'd hate to be CALLED A LIAR!"

Luffy's grip on his nose tightened and he started forcing it backwards. Arlong started to howl as his indestructible nose started to bend backwards towards his hair, "STOP!" His muscles bulged as he threw a hard right hand into Luffy's ribs. "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF ME!" Luffy didn't even wince, "STOP! STOOPP!" He roared, throwing devastating fists into his enemy's torso, but Luffy barely even felt them. When your childhood consisted of getting punched by Monkey D. Garp in order to build a stronger **Tekkai** , a wimpy Fishman like Arlong wouldn't be able to even budge him.

With a final jerk of his wrist, Luffy ripped Arlong's saw-like nose clean off his face. Even Nami turned a little pale as Arlong jerked back and started stumbling about, clutching at his face as he howled dementedly. "I didn't think Luffy would actually rip his nose off." She mumbled, but the sight of her tormentor screaming in pain brought a grin to her face. She wasn't normally a vicious person like this – and she was actually pretty sure that Luffy wasn't either, usually – but Arlong had stolen her mother from her and hurt her. They could both make an exception in this case.

Luffy calmly walked to the flailing Arlong and rammed his fist into the Fishman's gut. Arlong almost puked, his mouth opening wide. Luffy threw the nose into Arlong's gaping maw, and Arlong instinctively clamped down. A bone-shattering uppercut broke the shark's jaw and sent shards of his teeth flying around. Arlong collapsed backwards, barely able to move. His teeth were all either cracked or utterly shattered. Luffy moved above him and punched down so hard that a two meter wide crater broke into the floor.

Nami started to sob as they all felt the quake. Sob in utter joy and relief. "THIS!" A second quake shook them as the crater widened again, "IS! FOR! HURTING!" Each word was punctuated with another plume of concrete and dirt spraying out of the hole, "NAMI!" The final word sounded out with one last quake. Seconds later, Luffy left Arlong's broken body lying in the hole. He hopped out of it and turned to stare at Arlong Park's main building. The night he learned about her past had not been the only night. They had slept together many more times since then, each time trading a few stories. Nami's stories about this damn place had not been any more pleasant than the stories about her past itself.

He cupped his hands together and a massive ball of plasma formed in between them, " **Enten no…Kōen**!" He roared, throwing his hands forward and sending the massive blast straight through Arlong Park's doors. It burned a perfectly circular hole straight through and blasted through the stairwell before detonating in the middle of the building. The ball began expanding massively, engulfing everything in its path. The bystanders were forced to look away and shield their eyes as it appeared as if a second sun had formed right in front of them. The heat was immense, forcing all of them to start sweating heavily. The sea behind Luffy started to steam. Finally, the light vanished, and they were able to see what remained of Arlong Park.

And the answer was _nothing_. The entire, massive structure and even some of the rock it stood on was just _gone._ All that was left was a melted bowl were it once stood. Nami clapped her hand to her mouth as she sobbed joyfully, "Luffy…thank you!"

She rushed forward as Luffy turned to her, his massive, cheerful grin replacing the angry, confident one, "NAMI!" He roared out, "YOU'RE MY NAKAMA! GOT IT!"

A delighted Nami tackling him onto the dirt was his only response. The wrapped their arms around each other, "Thank you!" She cried, "Thank you thank you thank you!" She sat back and he sat up, the both of them smiling brightly at one another. She smirked, "Come here…" She said sweetly as she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Everyone there who knew her went wide eyed and their jaws dropped.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Sanji cried, now _witnessing_ the two being affectionate for the first time. He slumped to the ground in depression, "Nami-swan…why…" He pounded the ground with a fist, "It's not fair." He sobbed hysterically.

Nami couldn't help herself, she started to giggle helplessly, "Shut up Sanji! You're ruining the moment!"

Zoro – who was just lying there in agony – mumbled, "Stupid, perverted Dartbrow…"

 **-]|[-**

"YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!" Doctor Nako roared at the bedridden Zoro as he took off the bloody bandages for the first time. Zoro's torso was a mess, looking like it was held together with duct tape and superglue. "How could you idiots possibly think patching this up on your own was a good idea?! How could you even stand with wounds this bad! Do you not have a doctor on your ship?!"

"Doctor huh?" Luffy grinned, "Yeah, that's a good idea. We'll find one after a musician." Nako promptly realized that Nami was utterly _doomed._

 **-]|[-**

' _It's finally done, mom._ ' Nami was kneeling in front of Bell-mère's makeshift grave, ' _After eight long years…it's finally over. Everyone is free again!_ ' She smiled, "If mom were alive, do you think she'd stop me from becoming a pirate?"

"Of course she would-" Genzo was saying, but Nojiko grabbed his cheek and stretched it out.

"Of course not." Nojiko stated, "That was mum for you. She always told us to follow our dreams. And besides, even if she had, you wouldn't have listened."

Nami laughed and stuck her tongue out, "You know me too well, sis."

 **-]|[-**

It was already the second night of raucous partying in Cocoyashi, and Luffy was staring at a sad looking Sanji with a leg of meat in his mouth and three in each hand, "Sanji, what was on that last melon you ate just now?"

"What's with all the meat you're holding on to?" Zoro asked in bemusement.

Sanji glowered at his Captain, "Damn you Luffy! Why do you have to be so lucky!" He started shaking the man in the straw hat, "You treat her right you bastard! You got that!"

Luffy allowed himself to be shaken, chuckling at Sanji's continued reaction to him and Nami, "Anyway, what was that melon?" He would have reassured the man, but he had already done that. Three times. Just that hour. And he'd been doing it for the past two days.

Sanji sighed, "It was something called Raw Ham Melon. Now…I'm going to go flirt!" he danced away. Usopp was off on some podium telling tall (and not so tall) tales and singing songs with the villagers. Zoro was now dead asleep, and Luffy raced off, trying to find the awesome new food that had caught his eye.

As he raced through the party, he ran into Nami, "Shishishi, nice tattoo, Nami." He grinned.

He embraced her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The new tattoo was of a tangerine and a pinwheel, "It's all thanks to you." She mumbled, placing a kiss on his neck. Luffy shivered, all thoughts of the Ham Melon momentarily chased out, for some reason. He kissed her neck back, and they distanced themselves momentarily so they could find the other's lips. Kissing was new to both of them, and they were a little clumsy, but it was much better than it had been on the ship weeks ago.

She pulled back, and uncharacteristically shy blush on her cheeks. She grabbed his hand, "Come on." The both blurred and vanished in a **Soru**.

 **-]|[-**

The next day dawned bright and early, and the Strawhats were gathered on their ship, "Why are we on the ship Luffy? Weren't we supposed to stay here for a few more days?" Usopp asked him.

Luffy smirked, thinking back to the previous night, ' _Hey Luffy…I know you really want to go to the Grand Line now…but do you think you could do one more favor for me?_ ' He laughed, "We'll be back." He said, "We have one last thing to do before we can start heading for the Grand Line."

Sanji looked curiously at him, "Oh, and what's that?"

"You'll see soon enough." Nami grinned as she walked over. Thankfully, no one but Luffy noticed that she was walking a little gingerly, and she shot him a reassuring smile at his concern, "Ready to go, Captain."

Luffy grinned, "Then set sail!"

 **-]|[-**

"Has Arlong picked up that damn snail yet?" Nezumi practically sprayed the hapless Marine underling he was speaking to with his spit.

The Marine had his hands behind his back, trying to resist the urge to wipe his face, "No sir." He said, "Ever since five days ago, all communications have ceased."

Nezumi ground his teeth together, "Where is that damn fish when you need him?" He rubbed his aching shoulder, which jostled the sling he had his arm in, causing him more pain. He grimaced, "That blue haired bitch has to pay for what she did to me." He seethed, "That damn shark better pick up soon. I want to buy her."

Whatever response the Marine grunt was going to give was lost as the entire building began to shake. Massive explosions rang through the air, practically flinging Nezumi off his comfy chair and onto the ground. His wound almost ripped open, and instead his arm went numb. "WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"

 **-]|[-**

"We're going to attack WHAT?!" Usopp cried hysterically.

"That Marine base." Luffy repeated nonchalantly, pointing at the tall tower in the distance that was shaped like a mouse's head. That was essentially the only major building on the small island. It was connected to a couple smaller ones that were likely barracks or mess halls. There were six docks for medium-sized Marine ships, with four currently occupied. This was Marine Base Three, designed to equip and supply Marine Branches Twelve through Eighteen. As ' _the most accomplished_ ' of the Marine Captains of those six branches, the base was modelled after Nezumi's tastes.

"BUT WHY?!" Usopp roared, shaking Luffy back and forth, much to his Captain's amusement. "That'll just put us on the Marine's shit list!"

"That'll happen regardless." Zoro was looking much, _much_ better than he had a couple days ago. He looked far more recovered than he should have and had even started tugging at the bandages, claiming that they were too restrictive, "Luffy will become the Pirate King. Might as well get the infamous part started." He was grinning confidently as he stared down the four ships, with one hand on _Wado_.

"Besides, they're corrupt. They get paid by Arlong. They stole my money. _They hurt my sister._ " Usopp cringed at the fire in Nami's tone and backed away hastily. She was smiling cheerfully, "Take your pick Usopp." She grinned at him, rubbing her newest staff happily. This one was wildly different than her previous two. It was a gleaming red metal, rather than blue wood, and it was hollowed out with a couple of buttons on it. "Or better yet, get on the guns, sniper!"

Usopp gulped, before dropping his goggles down his face, "R-right!"

Luffy grinned as they got closer to the base, "Usopp, say hello!"

"And try not to hit the buildings! We don't know where they keep their loot!" Nami added. Usopp mentally cringed at the order, but followed it anyway without hesitation.

BANG!

The cannon fired and he ran to the next one, firing it too. The cannonballs whistled through the air as the first one smashed straight through first the sail and then the cabin of one of the Marine ships. The mast crumbled and fell to the side, ripping the sails of another vessel as it fell. The second one smashed into a second ship, igniting it's powder keg and blowing it sky high. Most of the Strawhats had to shield their eyes from the immensely bright light coming from the blaze that not only blew the ships to pieces, but also lit the closest vessel on fire. A second explosion from the shrapnel piercing through the other ship and igniting _its_ powder cracked through the air.

Then, the shockwave hit the Strawhats and some of them winced as their ears popped. Usopp was almost tossed head-over-heels, but he somehow managed to right himself. In two shots, Usopp had annihilated two ships that were bigger than their ship, crippled another entirely, and damaged the last one.

Marines everywhere on the island were panicking and running around like headless chicken. None of them had been manning any of the ships, so only an unlucky few were even injured. No one had even spotted the _Going Merry_ because Nezumi's _rule_ was _that_ complacent. But, some of them managed to rally together and rush for the last ship. It was damaged, but still seaworthy. The ship shot from port as soon as the anchors were pulled, and fired right back at the _Going Merry_.

"AHHH! THEY FIRED!" Usopp cried helplessly, waving his arms in the air.

Zoro just barely managed to not roll his eyes, "Are you a sniper or not? If they shoot at us, knock it out of the sky with our own shot."

Usopp got right in Zoro's face, screaming at him, "We only have two cannons and they're both empty!"

"Fine, fine." Zoro said carelessly, "I suppose this will be a nice warm up." He drew his only sword – having given the other two back to Johnny and Yosaku – and held it with two hands, " **Santoryu…Sanjuroku Pound Ho**!" He slashed the air in front of him and a couple dozen meters away, the cannonball was cut in twain, before exploding.

"Nice aim!" Nami cheered appreciatively, "You've gotten much better at that." Zoro smirked.

The two ships closed in on each other, with the enemy firing at an increasingly rapid, increasingly panicked pace in an attempt to sink them. Nothing worked. Zoro used his 'cannon' to cut the cannonballs out of the air, as did Luffy with **Rankyaku**. Sanji was very much new to the technique, so his attacks only managed to gouge the metal balls or knock them way off course. He had not yet managed to get a good cutting edge, and it was driving him mad.

Finally, the ships were forced to stop their game of chicken and peel off. The Marine's turned their ship slightly so that they were a couple of meters apart, board to board. Zoro grinned viciously, " **Santoryu… Sanjuroku Pound Ho**!" He yelled one final time. The air churned as the attack fired off, before hitting the Marine Vessel. Immediately, the ship began to split. It did not go all the way through, but it got far enough that water started gushing into the holds. "Damn." Zoro cursed as the marines began to panic as the ship tilted and began to list, before the immense forces of the water started to rip it apart. "Still not good enough." He groused. He had been hoping to cut the sip in two, and hadn't even come close. What Zoro's attack started, the sea finished. The rest of the deck broke apart in jagged splinters of wood. The bow crashed into the waves and the rest of the split ship followed, sinking rapidly. The ocean churned and threw up spray as the helpless Marines dove off the doomed vessel.

The Strawhats continued onto the island, where some hidden cannons started popping out of the concrete. Before they could get a shot off, Luffy had rocketed into the air, " **Enten no…Bakuha!** " His entire body started glowing golden and began expanding. Several Marines cringed as they stared at the bright attack, and when it exploded and expanded with an even brighter light, a good number of them went momentarily blind.

And to the eyes of the Marines who weren't blinded because they weren't staring at the damn ball almost as bright as the sun, fire started raining from the skies. Every battlement they had on the island was annihilated. The falling spears of plasma cut straight through them in great showers of sparks. When they stopped raining, and the Marines were able to stop trembling under the onslaught, Luffy landed on the island in front of them. And then Nami appeared right next to him and whacked him in the head with her staff, "Ow! What was that for Nami!" He yelled crankily.

She grabbed his lips and stretched them out, "You almost hit _Merry_ you idiot!" She yelled furiously.

"I'b sowwy Nabi!" Luffy said as best as he could, looking contrite.

She let go with a smile, "Just be more careful. One hit from your Sun powers and _Merry_ is doomed." She looked mischievous, before pulling him in for a quick kiss. The disembarking Sanji turned into glass and shattered.

"S-stop!" Luffy and Nami pulled apart and blinked owlishly at the trembling Marines, "Y-y-y-you're u-under arrest!" They were all trembling like leaves in the wind, their rifles shaking so badly that they wouldn't have hit the broadside of a Galleon, much less any of them.

Nami smirked and split her staff into three pieces, "Alright Usopp, time to test this Clima-Tact of yours out." She assembled it into a cross pattern, with one section in her hand and the two others forming an 'x' at the other end, "Hope you boys enjoy! The weather is stormy and windy!" She swung the Clima-Tact like a bat and the cross detached, flying towards the rows of Marines. It appeared to be spewing some sort of red and blue bubbles. When it hit one of the panicking Marines, the bubbles popped, " **Cyclone Tempo**!" She yelled as a massive wind started picking up the regiment and flinging them all over the base. Even she blinked owlishly at the result, "Holy crap!" She had stars in her eyes as the cross came back to her like a boomerang and she caught it. She immediately raced towards Usopp – who was gaping at the sight with snot coming out of his nose – and pushed his head into her chest for a tight hug, "That was even better than I hoped for!" She squealed in excitement. She pulled away, looking at him sheepishly, "You know, I almost expected you to fill the thing with stupid useless party tricks. Good job!"

"Shishishi! That was awesome Nami!" Luffy's eyes were literally stars as he stared at the devastation.

Usopp coughed uncomfortably, making plans to somehow steal away the instruction manual he had given her. And how the hell had she managed to create that attack? Even _he_ thought it was no more than a party trick, and he made the damn thing! But he couldn't let her know that, "O-of course!" He crossed his arms, "Did you really doubt the great Captain Usopp?"

She caught his stutter and stared at him blankly, "You did fill it with party tricks didn't you?" Usopp gagged, "You _idiot_." She facepalmed, "Be glad that actually _worked_ and I didn't find out in a real fight." She grabbed his nose with her fingertips and squeezed, "But we're going to go over it closely together, got that?"

"S-sure!" Usopp stammered. Nami could be surprisingly _scary_ for such a petite girl.

"Nami-swan is so amazing!" Sanji was dancing around her with hearts in his eyes.

"Stupid love cook." Zoro muttered as he passed by them.

"What was that?" Sanji's hearts shattered and his normal eyes replaced them, "What did you call me, you stupid Marimo?"

A vein bulged on Zoro's forehead, "You want to go, love cook?"

Nami rolled her eyes as the two began arguing and calling each other names. She walked over to Luffy and grabbed his hand, "Shall we?" They walked over to the big set of metal doors leading into the ugly building and lifted their legs. They both kicked out, and the doors groaned. Nami's side slammed into the wall, while Luffy's side flew off its hinges and crashed into the stairwell a couple meters down the hall, "Show off." She pouted, much to his amusement.

They walked up the stairs to an ostentatious-looking set of doors that clearly must have led to Nezumi's office. They kicked this one down too, and the two men inside squeaked in fear, "Wh-who are you! Are you all insane! This is a Marine Base! You can't do th-grk!" He couldn't finish his squawking as Nami's staff slammed into his mouth. Blood and teeth flew through the air as a sobbing Nezumi crashed through his desk.

"Oh hi, rat-san! I'm so sorry, did that hurt?" Nami looked especially gorgeous when she was vengeful. She was being all pleasant and happy, even as she brutalized the Marine Captain with her staff. "But I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you! How can you ask me who I am when we've been through so much together?"

"I've never seen you in by life!" Nezumi sobbed through his busted teeth.

"Oh, but I do know you." Her sweet tone turned dark, "Does the name Nojiko ring any bells?" She smiled viciously as the man curdled to the color of spoiled milk, "Oh, it does!" She said happily, "You see, I'm Nojiko's sister." She said, watching as he somehow paled even more, "And you _have something of mine_." She grabbed his whiskers and hauled him up, forcing another scream of pain from him, "Now I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here destroying your base, instead of whimpering under Arlong's rule." She said conversationally, before dropping him, "You see, that's because of this big lug here." She hugged Luffy happily and gave his jawline a quick peck, "I'm a part of the Straw Hat Pirates now, and my Captain here beat Arlong so badly his ancestors would cringe." She smirked at the terror in his eyes, "Now, this doesn't really have to end badly for you. **Just tell me where your safe is**." All traces of sweetness left her voice and she looked almost demonic.

Nezumi squealed like a pig, "There! It's there! Behind that portrait!"

Nami smirked as they went over and ripped the massive painting off the wall, revealing an equally giant safe behind it. Luffy made quick work of the locks, and they yanked it open. Nami's eyes turned into giant ฿. "Oh baby, come to momma!" She dove into the massive stacks of gold and practically began swimming in them, "He must have been extorting East Blue for years! Much longer than I thought!" She said, as Luffy opened a window and yelled at the rest of the crew to come up, "There's much more treasure here than just what he stole from me!" She was almost going into a cash coma of happiness.

They all started working on stripping every single coin from the vault, all while Nezumi watched helplessly. Finally, Nami and Luffy were the last to leave after a third trip, carrying huge sacks of treasure. She dropped her bag just outside the door, just when Nezumi had begun to sigh in relief, "Oh, Nezumi?" She called, a smirk on her face as she stood outside the room.

"Y-yes?"

"Remember how I said this didn't have to end badly for you?" Her smirk widened as she started grabbing her Clima-Tact.

He stiffened, "No, NO!"

She whirled around and pressed the buttons on two of the three staff pieces, " **Cool Ball**!" Dozens of little blue bubbles raced into the air above him, " **Heat Ball**!" Yet more red bubbles raced through the air, sucking up moisture before rising and combining with the cool balls. A dark cloud started forming inside the building above Nezumi's head, much to his flabbergasted horror. " **Thunder Ball**!" From the final section of her staff, a single, dazzling, electric yellow bubble popped out. It joined with the black cloud and popped, just as Nami slammed the three pieces of staff together and combined them, "You really shouldn't have hurt my sister, little rat! The weather is stormy! **THUNDERBOLT TEMPO**!"

Nezumi's screams echoed throughout the island and any Marine who looked up at his window would have only seen flashes of light.

 **-]|[-**

 **And done! I know I said I would try to finish East Blue in this one, but I think 16k is a good enough size for a chapter. This is an AWESOME moment, because that officially puts this story over 100k! I never dreamed that this would get this popular this quickly. Thank you guys. Really, thank you!**

 **Also, I make no promises on the next one being out in as timely a manner as the last two. Unfortunately, I'm starting to run dry on good One Piece stories to reread, which is kinda killing my mojo a little bit. I may end up in one of my other fandoms soon enough.**

 **I'm not really as happy with this chapter as I wanted to be. Unfortunately, the three main fights were probably a little lackluster, seeing as how one was an utter stomp (I said Arlong would be eating his nose, didn't I? I won't be called a liar and neither will Luffy!) and the other two were…basically canon. Sorry guys, but Zoro really was just _horrendously_ injured. You don't just walk that off with no consequences. Sanji on the other hand, _manhandled_ Kurobi in canon even after getting the shit beat out of him underwater and almost drowned. He didn't do that in this story because Luffy never got thrown in, and he wasn't about to let himself be thrown in. Without those injuries, Kurobi didn't stand even a ghost of a chance.**

 **God damn it I can't wait until the later arcs so I can stop making fights so goddamn one sided. I try to at least make them at least a little entertaining but it gets difficult with canon matchups since everyone is stronger. I'm not going to purposefully gimp my characters against enemies who realistically stand no chance. That is just as boring to read and has the added downside of breaking suspension of disbelief.**

 **I tried to have some fun with Usopp and Nami, so hopefully you guys were entertained a bit more with them! The real part of this chapter that I got excited for was the end scene. Did any of you think Nezumi would get to be a Karma Houdini? I hope not! Bwahaha! You'll have to wait till next chapter to see what kind of bounty _attacking one of the five major East Blue Bases_ (in this story) will get them. And yes, that's a ' _them_.' Not all of them, but a 'them' nonetheless.**

 **Also, I want some suggestions for a new epitaph for Zoro. I don't want it to be "Pirate Hunter."**

 **Now, Nami's Clima-Tact…why was it red? Is it any different to the canon Clima-Tact? No, it's not. I read that the Clima-Tact was originally colored red in the manga. For whatever reason, the anime changed it, and the manga then updated itself later. Seeing as I like red more than blue, I decided to just throw that in. :p**

 **Also, if you want a bit more visual of Nami's "torpedo" maneuver, don't think of Blue Walk. That wasn't what she was doing. She was basically taking the principles of** Geppo **and propelling herself in the water. She was also much, much slower. I had her do it because she would know where the sentry was.**

 **Now, if any of you are curious, yes, Nami and Luffy did have their first sexy times in this chapter. I should have a lemon for that up eventually, but I don't have it ready yet. I'll post a little notice for that when it's up. This is not – after all – primarily a lemon story. I wanted to get the cake finished before I worry about the frosting.**

 **-]|[-**

 **TECHNIQUES**

 **Enten no Kizu** (Scorching Heaven's Scar)

 **Enten no…Kōen** (Scorching Heaven's Brilliant Flame) I'll admit, the name for this one was taken from Fairy Tail's Natsu.

 **Enten no Bakuha** (Scorching Heaven's Explosion)


	6. Enter the Grand Line!

**Hey everyone! Been a while hasn't it? I do apologize for taking so long (on any story really, not just this one) but as Uni is back up and running, I've kind of found very, very little time to write between school work and actual work (and gaming). Probably won't be back to the usual pace until at least December and even then it'll probably only be for a month or so, but I'll try to squeeze some in.**

 **PLEASE CHECK MY PROFILE FOR PROGRESS. I WILL NO LONGER BE ANSWERING PMS SOLELY ABOUT MY SCHEDULE.**

 **Anyway, as you'll be able to see, I'm taking cues from both the manga and the anime. I likely won't be doing any of the anime-only arcs, so you can pretty much cross those off the list unless they were really slam dunks. I MIGHT do some movies, but definitely not all of them. However, some scenes the anime definitely did better on than the manga, since they had more time to expand. I'll be taking some cues there for sure, though – again – not all of them.**

 **Also, I have some challenges/ideas at the bottom. Check em out!**

 **ALSO: Zoro's epitaph is tentative until the next chapter! If you guys can come up with something better, let me know! Until I post the next chapter, I'll still be willing to come back and edit this one!**

 **-]|[-**

"MAYDAY! MAYDAY!" The excessively loud sound coming from such a tiny snail shocked the Marines tasked with monitoring communications in the Blues.

The Marine taking care of East Blue frowned, "There's no need to shout. I can hear you loud and clear." He took a look at his files, "Is this Captain Nezumi of Unit 16?"

"No sir!" The Marine on the other end said firmly, "…I actually don't think Captain Nezumi will be doing much speaking for a long time." There was a pause, "…Or moving, come to think of it."

The man frowned heavily, "Explain yourself!"

"Sir! At approximately 0800 this morning, Marine Base Three in East Blue was attacked by pirates!"

He couldn't help but lower his jaw in disbelief, "A base." He mumbled back numbly, "Pirates attacked a _base?_ " He shook himself, "Explain! In detail!"

"Sir! The first attack came from the ship itself. Two cannonballs were shot from it! Just two! The first shot destroyed one of the four moored ships' masts, which then ripped the sails of a second ship. The second shot hit the powder keg of ship four and destroyed it. The shrapnel from the explosion blew up the powder keg of the ship which was right next to it. In those two shots, they destroyed three ships and crippled a fourth." Stunned silence was his response, "The last ship sailed out to meet them head on, and was destroyed by an _wind blade._ "

"Impossible!" He whipped his Marine hat off of his head, revealing a full head of long, dark hair. "There's no way there was a swordsman of that caliber in East Blue!"

"It's what happened sir! His attack was not strong enough to cut the ship in half, but it did enough of the job that the ocean finished it." The Marine said somberly, "The one we later learned was the Captain then leapt from the ship and used some sort of Devil Fruit power to rain something extremely hot from the sky. It was too hot to just be regular fire, and it melted straight through our encampments and turrets. Many of our men on the ground were blinded by the light. Some said it was like a second sun erupted above them. They landed and an orange-haired lady used some sort of _Sorcery_ to summon a small hurricane!" The long-haired Marine choked. Could this get any better, "They then proceeded into the base itself, where they stripped the base clean of all captured treasure and as much of the armory as they could fit onto their ship. All attempts to get an explosive onto the vessel met with failure, and none could actually see its defender, or if there was more than one. The girl then summoned a lightning storm inside the base and electrocuted Captain Nezumi so badly that we're having to feed him through a tube. We also have a machine pumping his lungs."

He put his head in his hands, an expression of rage on his face, "Did you at least get pictures?!"

"We did sir! We are sending them over now! From what we able to figure out in the aftermath of the attack, the Captain is Monkey D Luffy. The girl was named Nami, and the swordsman is none other than the famous East Blue Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro! They are the Straw Hat Pirates!"

He ground his teeth, "So the bounty hunter joined his marks." His knuckles popped as he clenched his fists, "I want any information you can find on those three, on the double! You have three days! We will be putting bounties on all three heads!"

"Yes sir!" And with a final _puru_ from the snail, the call dropped.

 **-]|[-**

A shoot of bamboo was filled almost to the brim with water, and it dipped forward and clacked against a bucket, spilling its contents. This was one of the Marine Headquarters around the world, and they were currently hosting many mid-level Marines. The men and women were all lined up against both sides of the long hall. Each had a fancy suit, with an immaculate white Officer's Coat draped over their shoulders with the emblem of Justice on their backs. All had hard faces and eyes as they sat in front of prepared meals and cups of sake.

"So at the very least, they're now too much from our Branches to handle?"

"That's right." The man standing at the side of a board with his arms crossed behind his back was tall. He had tanned skin and dark-green curly hair. His eyes were obscured by sunglasses, despite being indoors. This was Lieutenant Commander Brannew, "Even before forming his Pirate group, _Mugiwara_ Luffy defeated Captain _Axe-Hand_ Morgan of one of our Marine Branches, and his crew has shown no sign of slowing down. Their latest atrocity was the sacking of Marine Base Three of East Blue."

"New information has shown that both Morgan and Nezumi would have been sent to Impel Down had we known of their activities." A higher up said gravely, "This attack on Base Three was likely prompted from the Arlong Debacle. We've heard nothing but terrible things out of the people of Cocoyashi, and even if we eliminate their testimony as being biased due to being this Nami's hometown, the other Islands in that chain have said the same things. We've not heard _anything_ of these Straw Hat Pirates that was actually…well…Pirate-like."

Another Marine growled, "It is the job of the Marines to police the people in the name of Absolute Justice. The minute they put up that flag they are pirates."

Brannew cut the discussion off, "While these are fair points you have brought up, they are irrelevant to today's events. The higher ups have already made their decisions." He slapped a hand to the board, "Buggy the Clown, ฿15,000,000! _Pirate Admiral_ Don Krieg, ฿17,000,000! Arlong the Saw, ฿20,000,000! Even the surprise capture of a man thought long dead; Kuro of a Thousand Plans, ฿16,000,000! All of them were Pirates who had surpassed the big ฿10,000,000 mark, in a Sea where the average is ฿3,000,000! Not only did these Straw Hat Pirates take them all out, but _Mugiwara_ himself took out Arlong without taking a single injury! From all accounts, he overpowered Arlong – a Fishman – in a contest of strength! He didn't even bother fighting Krieg himself, and allowed this Nami to do so! Roronoa Zoro is a swordsman of such skill that he is capable of projecting Wind Blades! That is _unheard of_ in East Blue!" He slammed his hand hard onto the board, and it flipped over revealing three new posters, "It is unprecedented to put out such a high starting bounty, and even more unprecedented for a crew to start off with more than one bounty! But we feel this is absolutely necessary! We must nip the seeds of villainy in the bud early, before they have the time to take root! There is no telling how powerful this crew could become if they are allowed the time to grow!"

 **-]|[-**

"You raised the prices _again_?" Nami asked in irritation. The News Coo looked pretty apologetic, "You're charging too much for them. If you raise it again I won't buy from you anymore."

"What's a newspaper or two?" Usopp asked carelessly. He was hunched over a small table with various vials and hollowed out lead shot.

"They add up." Nami shot back, "Reading is a good for the brain, but when you get one a day it adds up."

"Aren't you done collecting money though?" He asked, "Even with the ฿100,000,000 we left at Cocoyashi, we still have quite a bit from raiding Nezumi's stash."

"What are you, an idiot?" She stomped over to him, "Now that Arlong is gone, I can collect for _me_. I have no intention of being penniless."

She would have gone on, but he hurriedly waved her away, "Stop squawking! I'm trying to develop a new killer star! I'm using hot chili peppers here!" He held up one of the vials and went to carefully pour the red contents into the shot, "Anyone who gets this in their eyes will-" And that was when Luffy's head crashed into his hand.

"Oi, what's the big deal Sanji!" Luffy yelled. Behind him, fire alarm bells were ringing as Usopp screamed towards the sky and shot fire out of his eyes! The plume of flame rose above even the ship's mast. "I just wanted to try one!"

"This is Nami-swan's orchard! I will protect it with all the love in my heart!"

Luffy growled as Nami rolled her eyes as she began reading her paper. She was just about to tell Sanji that it was okay for Luffy to try one when she heard the telltale sound of **Soru**. Sanji whirled around in panic and ate a kick right to the gut. He went flying forward and crashed into Usopp's work bench, flipping it. Another of the chili bottles had been lying on it, and it went flying. Usopp had now calmed down somewhat, and was laying almost spread-eagle on the deck, rubbing at his eyes. He stopped rubbing them and moved his arm, blinking rapidly. And that was when the second dose hit him in the face. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The fire alarm bells rang once more for poor Usopp.

"Shishishi, stupid Sanji." Luffy turned and went to go grab one of the tangerines, when Nami appeared beside him with her paper tucked underneath her arm.

"Not that one!" She slapped his hand down gently, "It's not ripe yet." She eyed them for a few seconds, before grabbing a ripe one and handing it to Luffy. "Make sure to peel it first." She giggled.

"Shishishi, thanks Nami." He went to peck her quickly on the cheek, but she inclined her head so their lips met for a kiss, and went back to her chair. Luffy sat next to her and began to eat the mikan slowly, as he always did when he was trying something new. He made sure to savor the taste before deciding whether or not he liked the item, and in this case he definitely did.

And that was when Nami flipped a page and a large sheet of newsprint fell out and floated to the deck. Luffy picked it up and unfurled it as Nami looked on, and their jaws dropped. "WHAT THE FUCK!" Nami screamed in shock, a little bit of blue on her skin. That awoke Zoro and got the attention of Usopp and Sanji, who were rubbing his eyes and sulking respectively.

Luffy slapped the paper down on the deck as they crowded around in glee, "DEAD OR ALIVE!" He yelled in joy and started laughing boisterously.

"WHY ARE YOU SO HAPPY?!" Nami screamed at him with razor teeth. She fell back in her chair and moaned, "Whyyyy…" She was fine with fighting now, but that didn't mean she wanted bounty hunters all over her! "This is serious! Headquarters is probably involved now! We're going to have the strongest hunters sent after us!"

"Why does the shitty Marimo have one!" Sanji yelled in outrage, while the green-haired man in question smirked.

' _Straw Hat_ ' Monkey D Luffy, ฿50,000,000! The picture was of Luffy smirking confidently. He had a wide grin on his face and parts of his body were glowing golden. They must have taken this picture right before his attack at the base.

' _Demon of the Three Blades' Roronoa_ Zoro, ฿30,000,000! They clearly recognized the background as belonging to the Baratie. Zoro was inclining on his chair with a confident smirk on his face while holding _Wado_ in his right hand.

' _Storm Empress_ ' Nami, ฿20,000,000! This one was clearly taken inside the marine base. Nami was grinning madly with her new Clima-Tact in her hand with little crackles of lightning around her body.

"This picture makes me look so mean!" Nami whined as she looked at it.

"Can't imagine why." Zoro said blandly.

She grabbed her Clima-Tact with a growl, "You want to be next, Zoro?" She wasn't exactly dispelling his point.

"Bring it, ' _ **Storm Empress**_ _._ '" Zoro grinned.

"Nami got such a cool name!" Luffy had stars in his eyes as he stared at the orangette.

She blushed lightly, before shaking her head, "Anyway, now that we're wanted, we really shouldn't be relaxing here in East Blue."

Luffy grinned, "Yosh! To the Grand Line then!"

"Yeah!" Usopp yelled cheerfully, along with Sanji surprisingly. They had their arms around each other's shoulders and a fist each in the air.

"Well, let's stop by that island first." Zoro pointed off in the distance. "I need two new swords."

Nami started, "That's right." She relaxed and smiled lightly, "If we're seeing _that_ island, then we're definitely close to the Grand Line. That's Loguetown." She turned slightly towards Luffy to watch his reaction, "The town of the Beginning and the End. Where the Pirate King Gold Roger was born and where he died." Luffy had a look on his face, and her smile grew wider. She took a few steps towards him and wrapped her arms around him from behind, "Want to go there?"

He laughed, "You need to ask?"

 **-]|[-**

"Wow, this place is huge!" Luffy had a look of awe on his face. He'd never seen such a huge city before. His fists were in the air and the look of glee was back, "So this is where the Age of Pirates began…" He punched his two fists together, "I'm going to go find the Execution Platform!"

Sanji smiled, "I can probably find really good ingredients around here." He said eagerly, ' _And some fine women too._ ' His grin turned a little perverted.

"I'll go find equipment then." Usopp declared.

Nami turned to Zoro with an eager grin on her face, "I can lend you some money Zoro. Only 300 percent interest."

Luffy grabbed her hand, "Nami you're our Treasurer as well as our Navigator." He said, and her eyes turned to Beli, "but save the stingy for when we're actually running low. We got a good haul this trip. Everyone gets an allowance." He had his Captain voice on, and Nami pouted.

"But!" She protested with a crestfallen look on her cute face. Luffy's face didn't change, and she deflated, "Fine…" She groused, even as he pecked her on the cheek and went to run off, "Luffy! The three of us especially need to be careful!" She rapidly zoned back in, "It's only been a short time since our posters came out, but we still might be recognized. Keep on guard. You too, Zoro."

"You got it." Zoro said as he grabbed a stack of 100,000 Beli from her with a smirk. Luffy gave her a thumbs-up and continued on his way.

 **-]|[-**

Zoro was walking around town looking from side to side, trying to find a sword shop. With the Grand Line so close, he would have thought the place would have been teeming with them. So far though, he hadn't had any luck. "So, you're not with that monster today huh!" A loud voice rang out.

"Our boss is in jail thanks to you lot! Now you're finished!" Another gruff voice sounded off.

He turned to the side in interest, and blanched, ' _Who the hell are_ these _guys calling monsters?_ ' One of them could only barely be described as human. He was hunched over and his head was the size of his torso.

"Well, I'll be happy to take you on. It appears you haven't learned your lesson." The girl they were yelling at said calmly.

The fat one snorted, "What's that, you want to take us on?" He grinned and drew his sword, mirrored by the skinny monster, "Your funeral! DIE, AND LET THAT BASTARD MONSTER KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF HIM, OUR DEAMS OF ENTERING THE GRAND LINE ARE RUINED!"

The townspeople drew back in shock at the attempted murder, even as Zoro went to draw _Wado_. He needn't have bothered. The wrapped up package the girl was holding fell apart revealing a katana. She moved at a blistering speed and cut down both of the wannabe pirates in a single stroke, ending with her legs spread and the blade held over her head.

And then promptly ruined it by tripping and falling flat on her face as the bleeding men crumpled behind her. Her glasses clattered to the dirt in front of her, as the crowd began whooping and hollering for her, both amazed and amused. Zoro smirked lightly. She wasn't half bad. He kneeled down and picked up the glasses by one of the arms, "These yours?"

"Ah, sorry!" She exclaimed as she got to her knees, "Thank you very much!" She turned her face up with a slightly embarrassed smile and Zoro sucked in a gasp. "Ah, something the matter?"

"N-nothing!" Zoro stuttered uncharacteristically as he handed back the glasses. He had just barely managed to keep from crushing them. If he had been holding them near the lenses he probably would have, "Try to work on your footing." He chuckled and walked past her. Once their backs were to each other, he started to sweat, ' _What in the hell? She looks just like Kuina! She's even a swordswoman!_ ' He growled and hunched over slightly, "I was weak."

 **-]|[-**

"CAPTAIN SMOKER! Terrible news!" The room the Marine grunt walked into was filled so thickly with smoke that it likely could have been cut with a knife. You could only see a slightly darker outline of a heavily muscular man sitting shirtless by a table. There was also a large stack of something that the man was playing with, "There's been a message from HQ! Monkey D Luffy as well as his crew are likely going to be landing here soon! He himself somehow earned a _massive_ ฿50,000,000 bounty, while two others on his crew earned ฿30,000,000 and ฿20,000,000 each!"

The smoke had slightly cleared because of the open door, Smoker was now slightly visible. His hair was white and he had two cigars in his mouth, "Fifty million for the captain and another fifty for two crewmates. That's a hundred total." He said, "That's certainly worthy of congratulations. I'm legitimately impressed." His tone stayed even the entire time he spoke.

"He's an evil villain who not only took out Arlong, but the lowest bounty on his crew took out Don Krieg! On top of that, they assaulted Marine Base Three and crippled Captain Nezumi." The grunt said.

"Who we now know was practically a pirate himself. He gets no sympathy from me." Smoker dismissed his words gruffly, "Now be quie-" And the stack of rocks in front of him crumbled, "Damn, your yelling made it fall apart." He stood with a huff, before walking over to the window and opening it. Gradually, the rest of the smoke in the room drifted out, "Don't be tense. I have my own pace I do things at." He turned back, "So what now?"

"Sir! Word is that they'll be landing today!"

"I don't see what you're so flustered for. Has a single pirate ever escaped Loguetown since I took charge here?" He walked over to a coat and put it on, revealing it to be a modified Marine Officer Coat with fur at the lapels and cigars strapped all over the left side. "No? Then shut up and calm down, or you're going to screw up my pace."

Then another grunt ran in and saluted, "Sir! We just received word that Pirates have landed!"

The other grunt straightened up, "It must be the Straw Hats!"

Smoker grabbed a jitte and strapped it to his back before walking forward, " _Mugiwara no_ Luffy huh? I pray he actually puts up a fight."

A few seconds after the second grunt ran out with Smoker, the first grunt gasped, "Sir, you're not going to look at the poster?!" But it was too late and the Captain had already vanished.

Outside, the two Marine were calmly walking, "Captain, please give the units their orders!"

"No need." He said calmly.

"But!" The Marine blinked in shock, "But sir, you need to consider how powerful they are!"

Smoker stopped and turned his head, revealing a deadly look in his eye, "You're annoying." The Marine straightened in terror, "Don't tell me what to do. Now where's Tashigi?"

"My apologies sir!" He saluted in fear, "She said she'd be out this morning, but that she would return for training!"

"That dumb girl." Smoker sighed, "Where the hell did she go." A little girl then crashed into his leg and spilled ice cream all over his pants. He stared at the sniffling girl and her terrified father expressionlessly, before leaning down and grabbing her head in what looked like a bear claw, making the father recoil in fear. But then he got to one knee and said softly, "Looks like my pants ate your ice cream. Sorry about that." He pulled out a hundred Beli coin and put it in her hand, "Here, buy yourself five scoops." He waved good-bye and continued toward the docks.

A few minutes later, a Pirate with gray hair, an extremely long, thin, curling mustache, and an equally funny beard was yelling at his crew, "Take everything that isn't nailed down! These supplies will be vital for conquering the Grand Line! The Pirate King shall be me, Crescent Moon Gally!"

"Oi, who's in charge here?" Smoker had shown up while the pirates were raucously cheering. He eyed the man coolly, "So you're Monkey D Luffy huh. You don't look like much." Smoke started coming own of his sleeves, "I'll test you and see if you're worthy of stepping foot in my town!"

 **-]|[-**

"How's this?" Nami opened the curtain with a smile. She was wearing a loosely-tied corset with a fur skirt and long open coat.

"Oh my, madam, you look stunning!" An effeminate man with his hair shaped like a coat hanger of all things had a cheesy grin on his face.

"And how about this?" Now she wore a wine-colored dress that showed off her tattoo as well as some leg. She had some sort of animal pelt as a scarf.

"You look so elegant, miss!" He said, drooling at the thought of the coming sale.

"This?"

"Elemental!"

"And now this?"

"Electrical!"

"This one is good too, right?"

"Elegy!" He stood next to a pile of the clothes as Nami got back out of the booth dressed in her regular clothes, "You'll be purchasing all of these, correct?" He was weak at the knees at the thought of this sale.

"Nah." And then Nami rained on his parade, "I prefer more rugged clothes. They're much more comfortable. Thank you though!" She walked out, leaving the furiously sobbing clerk behind. Next she went to a much less fancy store to actually _buy_ herself some clothes. As the clerk was stuffing her second sack full of clothes, Nami had a feeling of foreboding, "Captain Smoker?"

"Yeah!" The woman said cheerfully, "He's one of the strongest Marines from HQ! Before he showed up this town used to be a pretty big pirate hangout, since it's so close to the Grand Line. Once he took over, not a single pirate has made it through. Every single one of them have ended up in the slammer. He's an extraordinarily strong monster! They say he has Devil Fruit powers too!"

Suddenly, Nami stiffened, and cast her gaze outside, "Hmm…sorry, but can you wrap it up in plastic as well?"

"Plastic? But the weather is great!" The shopkeeper exclaimed.

"Not for much longer…" Nami replied.

 **-]|[-**

"Excellent work sir! You captured Mugiwara's crew in no time at all!"

Smoker snorted, "Are your eyes for decoration?" He asked derisively, "You think this idiot was worth fifty million?" He sighed, "The world would be ending if this shabby fly was worth that much. Luffy will show up soon enough."

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear! "Oiii!" Smoker turned to the source of the noise, and saw a man wearing a straw hat and grinning happily, "Perfect timing! Do you know how to get to the execution platform?" Smoker blinked as the man turned around and waved his head around with his hand shielding his eyes, "I got lost on my way there. This city is so huge!"

"I've never seen you here before." Smoker told him.

"Yeah, I landed today. This place is so different from Foosha." Luffy said sheepishly.

"Why are you looking for the execution platform?" Smoker asked him, unable to tell whether or not he should be suspicious.

"Isn't it obvious?" Luffy grinned, tilting his head slightly to look at him, "I want to see where the Pirate King died." Smoker stared at him blankly, though his gaze got a little sharper. A few seconds passed, before Luffy frowned and leaned over, "Don't know where? Aww…" He started walking away.

"Wait." Smoker sighed, as the smoke coming from his cigar started forming a trail, "Just go ahead and follow the smoke."

"Oh really?! Thanks Smokey!" Luffy ran off. Smoker turned to watch him go, a contemplative look on his face.

A few minutes later, Luffy had predictably lost the smoke trail. "Man, now I'm lost. Again." Luffy grumbled, "Oh well, I'll find it eventually." He picked a random direction and his eyes widened when he saw a bar named _Bar Gold Roger_. He walked inside and it was a dark, gloomy building. The lighting was off or broken, and the entire place was dilapidated. Inside the bar itself, there was only a single old fart covered in age spots sitting by a human skull. "What are you doing here old guy? You work here?"

"Scram." The crotchety old man said, "This ain't a place for runts like you." He grabbed a bottle and started pouring himself a drink, "Besides, we're closed for good as of today."

Luffy blinked, "You guys go under?"

"It didn't go under!" The man sounded mad, "I'm shutting it down myself. Now get lost, brat!"

"Relax, I was just curious about the name." Luffy said, ignoring the orders and sitting down, "Maaan, I just wanted to go to the execution platform. How do you even get this lost?" He looked over, "Hey, what's that on the table?" Luffy grinned, "Is that a skull? How cool!"

The old man looked at it, "The last remains of a man called Killer Giant. A villain who sent hundreds of pirates to the afterlife." He grinned, "But Gold Roger sent him to his grave with a single blow." He threw his arms up, "With absurd speed too! This guy was famous for the huge blade he used, but their fight ended in the blink of an eye! This wound was what did him in," Luffy grinned even wider. The skull had a deep crack in it, "But the guy was a scoundrel. With his last breath, he muttered, ' _Roger, my hat's off to you! May you have honor as the eternal pirate!_ '"

"So cool!" Luffy was hanging on to every word.

"Eric Down, the man known as king! Silver Silver, the world's greatest gunman! The giant Gowns brothers! All of them tough as nails and feared as demons! But to Gold Roger, they may as well have been infants." Luffy was visibly trembling in excitement, "Would ya like to hear more? Very few believe this tale nowadays."

"It's fine! Just tell me!"

"Hold yer horses kid!" He swirled his drink around, "Gold Roger… in those days…no…even now I suppose…he was the only man who never feared the Grand Line." He reminisced nostalgically, "Back in those days, the Grand Line was a mysterious sea that no ship ever returned from. They were all just swallowed up. It was a sea of evil that people feared and which few men dared approach."

" _Old man, give me rum. One bottle will do."_

" _You're sure drinking happily, Roger."_

 _The dark haired man chuckled and brought the whole bottle to his lips and took a deep drink. Some wine spilled out of the sides of his mouth. "Of course I am. I'm about to take a little stroll into the Grand Line." The bartender's face fell in horror, "You can't imagine how excited I am."_

" _Woah! You're going there?" His jaw was having trouble working, "Into that sea of evil?"_

" _What, is there something wrong with that?" Roger grinned madly._

" _Well, not exactly…" He shrugged a bit, "But no one has ever come back from there! You should just forget about it."_

 _Roger started to laugh, "Why do you think I'm going? Now give me more rum. A barrel will do."_

The old man chuckled, "And after saying that, he drank the place dry, and set sail all too casually the next morning." He scratched his chin, "When I heard later that he'd conquered that sea, I was more happy than surprised. Far more excited than I should have been at my age!" He swirled his drink again, not even noticing Luffy fidgeting, "And twenty-two years ago today, he died on the execution platform." He sighed, "Ever since that day, every idiot thinking themselves strong has tried to do what he did. They all tossed their hats into the pirate ring, and marked the beginning of the Great Pirate Era!" He slammed his glass down, "And now look at all of them! An entire town full of nothing but cowards and scum! Men crazy enough to challenge that evil sea are all but gone now! That's why this bar is closing down for good today."

Luffy grinned, "I'm leaving for the Grand Line too." His grin widened to the point it was practically splitting his face, "Gold Roger's so cool! He's how a pirate _should_ be! That's why I set out. I'm going there, and I will find One Piece!" The old man stared in shock as the ghostly image of Roger appeared over the boy, "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

"Those are some mighty big words! And in this bar of all places!" The old man laughed.

"I only said what I meant." Luffy replied easily.

"Kid, if there are still guys like you in this world, then maybe closing up shop is a little premature." He got up and walked behind the bar, "I haven't been in such a good mood in ages. What'll it be?"

Luffy chuckled lightly, "I don't usually drink alcohol. I save it for special occasions."

"How about this then?" He put two cold glasses of milk on the counter, "A toast! To the Eternal Pirate King!" He slipped off his beanie and raised one of them.

Luffy grinned and grabbed his glass, before clinking it together with the other glass, "To the Eternal Pirate King!"

 **-]|[-**

"Oh, it's _you_." The old man scowled. The glasses were drained, and Luffy was long gone now.

"What a warm hello…" Smoker piped up in amusement, "…for a regular patron of yours."

"Cut the crap! You here to shut us down?" The old man growled.

"Don't hold a grudge old timer. It's not my fault pirates nowadays are all cowards and weaklings."

The old man chuckled, "Not all of them."

Smoker blinked, but put that aside, "I only come here as a loyal customer." He blinked again as the old man walked away, noticing the dregs of milk in the glasses, "Oh, you had a patron?" His grin widened slightly, "How rare." He paused for a second or two, "Anyway, I'd like a glass of rum."

"There's no alcohol here for you!"

"Don't be so iron-hearted." His smoke wafted away and grabbed a bottle off the shelf, "Today's a special day. Wouldn't you agree?" He popped the cork off and began chugging as the old man stopped messing with whatever he was messing with. He put the bottle down with a smirk, "Ah, that's the stuff." He looked down to one specific seat, "I remember it even now… how Roger looked at the end. It was a humid day, just like today. His hands were shackled as he was led down Main Street towards the town square, where the execution platform awaited. Yet he walked like a triumphant general!" Smoker could still recall the feeling of absolute shock he had felt as a child, watching the Pirate King walking to his doom and _smiling._ "Wealth…fame…power… Gold Roger had attained everything the world had to offer. And even though he was walking to his death, he remained a King of great pride."

 _Inherited will… The tide of the times… People dreams! As long as people seek the answer of freedom, these things will never cease to be._

" _Any last words?" The solder asked._

 _Gold Roger's grin widened as he turned to the man, who involuntarily took a step back. He held up his hands, "Take these off for me. They itch beyond belief."_

" _I cannot do that!"_

" _What, you think I'll run away?" he chuckled, "Ya sure know how to make a guy feel lonely." He walked forwards and turned, before sitting cross-legged. "Well, let's get this over with then." The guards crossed their long blades close to him._

" _HEY! PIRATE KING!" Roger lifted his head slightly, "What did you do with all your treasure?! Is it in the Grand Line? You got it didn't you? That great treasure!" He ignored the yells from the guards to shut up._

 _Roger started chuckling lowly, before it turned into a great belly laugh, "My treasure? You can have it if you want it."_

" _Don't speak without permission!" The soldiers yelled._

" _Find it! I left everything this world has to offer there! Everything is in One Piece!" And then the panicking guards pierced him with their blades, and there was silence. Everyone watched in shock, before a great, resounding cheer rang through the plaza. And the guards who had killed the man couldn't stop staring in shock, as even in death, the great king smiled._

"That's how it all began." Smoker continued staring at that one seat, the one that had sat Roger so many times.

"Hey! There's a few new wanted posters! Put them up somewhere visible!" A Marine had walked in, and then a shiver went down his spine as he dropped the three sheets of paper, "Ah! Captain Smoker! I apologize for my rudeness!"

"Huh?" Smoker walked over and picked up one of the posters. He stared at it, his voice a little gruffer, "That Straw Hat… _He_ was Monkey D Luffy!" He ran out of the store, dropping the paper as he went for the old man to stare at in glee.

 **-]|[-**

Zoro was now firmly in the teeth-grinding portion of his day. Every single store he'd tried so far all had stupidly expensive swords, none of which he could even dream of affording at this point. He knew Nami wouldn't loan him seven million for a single blade. He walked into yet another store, and the owner greeted him with the standard salesmen's pitch and smile, "Welcome, welcome! Old swords, newer swords, brand-new swords! We have them all, and over two-hundred years of sterling reputation! Please come in and look around!"

Zoro sighed, "I have 100,000 Beli! Sell me two swords!"

The owner's – a balding man named Ippon-Matsu – excitement crashed and burned faster than a ship Luffy decided he didn't like. "100,000? 50,000 will get you a blunt blade." He scowled, ' _This guy's a bum. What an amateur._ ' He scowled more, "The 50,000 Beli blades are over there." He pointed carelessly. Zoro turned just slightly as he explained that he was low on cash at the moment, and Matsu's eye caught on to the blade at this waist, ' _No way! That can't be! Play it cool!_ ' "Sir, may I see that sword?" he asked, just barely able to keep his voice even.

Zoro eyed him with a much sharper gaze, "Why are you shaking?" He reluctantly handed _Wado_ over, and watched with a sweatdrop as the man's composure broke as he drew it.

' _THIS IS IT!_ ' He screamed in his head, ' _Keep cool! This is your big chance! Don't mess this up! This sucker walked in with a legendary sword! Just talk calmly._ ' He coughed, "This sword's no good." Zoro grabbed him by his collar with a growl, "Sorry, I lied." He coughed again, "Look friend, maybe we can work around your lack of funds. This sword here is decent. It's nothing special, but it might be worth something." He said, "I'll give you 200,000 Beli for it, and then you'll be able to purchase three 100,000 Beli swords." Zoro eyed him darkly, "Er…How about 500,000 then?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Zoro glared at the man, who suddenly realized he might have tried to cheat the wrong person. He started to tremble under Zoro's gaze.

Zoro went to grab the blade back, but a body crashed into the counter and practically screamed, "No way! Could it be!" Zoro almost cringed. Kuina's lookalike was next to him again. She lifted her glasses in excitement to stare at the magnificent blade, "This is…"

" _Wado Ichimonji._ " Zoro finished the statement, finally taking his precious sword back.

' _He knew!_ ' Matsu thought in panic.

"Where did you find this, mister? This is one of the O Wazamono grade swords! It's worth ten million!"

Zoro tucked it back into his sash, "It belonged to my dearly departed friend." He glared at Matsu, whose face had turned pasty white. The girl had also paled, bowing her head in condolence, "Now where are your 50,000 Beli swords? I still need two more."

"Three swords? You must really like them." The girl asked with a sheepish smile, "Just like that Bounty Hunter, Roronoa Zoro! Oh, where are my manners! I met you earlier and didn't introduce myself then either! My name is Tashigi!" She bowed to him.

"Roronoa Zoro huh?" Zoro smirked lightly, "I hear that name often."

Tashigi nodded as she collected her own sword – _Shigure_ – from Matsu. She walked over to Zoro, who was unsheathing a katana, "He's a famous Bounty Hunter." She sighed, "It makes me angry, to think of a sword being used to make money. It's evil! Those blades must be crying!"

Zoro eyed her from the corner of his eye, "And what makes you so sure he was a Bounty Hunter because of greed?"

Tashigi blinked, "I…well…"

Zoro snorted, "What if it was just a couple dumbass pirates who attacked him? Was he supposed to just let those bounties go to waste?" He shrugged. That was as close as he could get to the truth without coming out and saying _he_ was Zoro.

Matsu had finally calmed down and grinned, "I like bad guys! This shop used to be full of guys looking to sail the Grand Line!" he growled, "Then that monster took over and look what happened! No more customers!"

"Captain Smoker is not a monster!" She whirled around and yelled at him, "He just ate a Devil Fruit!" Zoro listened intently as he went through swords, "In any case, I'll use this _Shigure_ to hone my skills! Then I'm going to collect all of the Meito that have fallen into evil hands! I'll collect all of theSaijo O Wazamono, O Wazamono, and Ryo Wazamono swords in evil hands even if it kills me!"

Zoro quirked a grin, unseen to the other two. She certainly had spunk. "This one too then?" He had the handle clenched tightly.

She gasped and whirled around, waving her hands rapidly, "It's not that I want the swords for myself! I just don't want evil men to have them!" Zoro chuckled before his hands closed around a handle and he stopped cold. "Oh, that sword! I've seen it in my book!" She opened it and rapidly flipped to a certain entry, "It's _Sandai_ _Kitetsu_! You have to take this one!" She turned to Matsu, "Why is this sword inside this barrel? This one is worth at least a million! It's a Ryo Wazamono!"

"No! I can't sell that sword!" Matsu roared.

"What, why not?" Tashigi asked after rearing back.

"That sword… it's…" Matsu started, but Zoro interrupted him.

"It's cursed." He said, not giving away how he was feeling, one way or the other.

"You've heard of it?" Matsu asked him in surprise.

"No…I can tell."

Matsu shook his head rapidly, "Either way, the _Kitetsu_ trio are all excellent blades, but all three are cursed! Famous swordsmen all over have lost their lives because they wielded those blades! These days, no sane swordsman would use one, and if they did they wouldn't be around for too much longer!" He sighed and looked down, "I'd like to get rid of it myself, but I'm afraid I'll be cursed for it."

Tashigi bowed deeply to Zoro, "I apologize! I was pushing so hard for you to get that one! I didn't know it was so dangerous! I could have killed you!"

Zoro was eyeing the sword with a faint grin. It was a katana with a very faint pattern on it that looked vaguely flame-like, "This sword… I like it." He broke into a full grin. "I'll take it."

"What!" They both gasped, "Are you a fool! I can't sell you that blade! If you died it would be like I killed you myself!"

His wife showed up and punched him in the head, "You're the fool! Just get rid of the thing!"

Zoro grinned as wide as Luffy did sometimes, "How about this then? My luck against this blade's curse. Let's find out which is stronger!" He threw it into the air and it spun like a buzz saw. He held out his arm and closed his eyes. "If I lose, then I wasn't meant to go any farther!"

Everyone in eyesight panicked. Tashigi covered her mouth and looked on with wide eyes, while Matsu roared, "Are you a fool! You'll lose your arm!"

The blade hit its apex and started falling. It danced around Zoro's arm and embedded itself into the floorboards to the hilt. Zoro grinned madly again, " _I'll take it._ "

Tashigi felt her legs give out underneath her and she slowly slid to her knees and watch in pure awe as Zoro effortlessly pulled the blade out of the floorboards and sheathed it. "Wow…" She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed, "Just…wow…"

Zoro turned to her, still lightly smirking, "Hey…how about you pick out another one for me?"

Tashigi shook herself, "Ah…sure!"

"No!" Matsu said and ran off, before coming back. He set a katana on a ceremonial stand and sank to his knees behind it. He bowed to Zoro, "Our shop is nothing fancy. This is the best blade we have! It is _Yubashiri_ , a Ryo Wazamono. It has a black lacquered sheath and I will guarantee its sharpness! Please take it and Kitetsu as my apology for trying to trick you!" He looked up and stared firmly into Zoro's eyes, "It's been a long time since I've met eye-to-eye with a real swordsman! I pray for your good fortune!"

After Zoro left, Tashigi had a weak, sheepish grin on her face, "I…I just can't get up."

 **-]|[-**

Luffy stood before the execution platform, having finally found the main plaza, "So that's where the greatest pirate in history died." He grinned, "The place where it all began!" He started stepping forward, intending to make the climb without using Geppo, when a voice rang up behind him. Luffy turned and waved, "Oh hey, it's you again! Hiya!"

Smoker eyed him without changing expressions, "So, you're the man with the highest bounty in East Blue, huh?"

Luffy blinked, "Yeah, I'm Luffy. You need something Smokey?"

A tiny tic mark popped up on Smoker's head, "The name is Smoker. I'm a Navy Captain, and I'm in charge of this town. You're under arrest."

Luffy eyed him seriously, "Nah!" He grinned and put his hands behind his head, "Don't feel like it." He smirked, "I'm about to head for the Grand Line, so I can become the Pirate King."

Smoker stiffened, "Pirate King?" He glared at the boy in front of him, "Then I'm afraid you'll have to get past me." He cracked his knuckles, "You don't get to the Grand Line unless you can beat me."

"Don't feel like it." Luffy whined, "This is a nice town. I don't feel like messing it up. Go away Smokey!"

Smoker blinked. What in the world? "I'm afraid you don't have a choice."

Luffy stared at him, before sighing and closing his eyes. Luffy vanished and before Smoker could do a damn thing, a sandal crashed into his jaw with the force of a dozen cannonballs. He lifted off his feet and rocketed through the air, "Guh!" His eyes were unfocused as he crashed down on the other side of town and dug a trench through the street he landed on before crashing into a building. At that point, he finally managed to focus enough to activate his devil fruit, and dispersed harmlessly into smoke rather than crashing through it. When he reformed, he was on one knee and panting hard as his vision swam. He got to his feet and stumbled momentarily, before his vision finally cleared up after he shook his head. "Damn." He rubbed his aching jaw, "It's been years since I've been caught off guard. I underestimated the brat." He then looked around and deadpanned, "And he knocked me across town. Damn it!" He sighed, "Damn it!" He repeated as he pulled out a baby Den Den Mushi, "All units converge on the Main Plaza! I repeat! All units converge on the Main Plaza!" And with that, he took off running.

Back at the plaza the townsfolk were watching in a mixture of shock and horror as Luffy lowered his foot from where Smoker's face had been. "Shishishi!" He laughed, and turned back to the platform. He began climbing, and in no time at all, he was staring at the entire town from the top of the platform. He began laughing as he sat down, "What a view!"

"Hey you! Get down from there!" A policeman who had just shown up and not seen him kick Smoker across town roared through a megaphone.

"Why?" Luffy asked him seriously.

"That Execution Platform is under World Government jurisdiction! Get down from there right no-rghhrr!" A heavy, spiked iron mace smashed right into the side of his face and sent him flying.

It was held by a rather beautiful woman with long black hair and a very curvy body. She was wearing a coat with stylized hearts all over it and a cowgirl hat. "Don't be so mean, mister policeman." She smiled brightly up at Luffy, "I've found you at last, Luffy! It's been a long time!"

"Eh?" Luffy blinked owlishly at the woman, "Who are you?" He tilted his head in confusion.

"Surely you haven't forgotten this face!" She exclaimed.

"…" Luffy stared hard, "Sorry, don't know you, pretty lady."

She pouted outrageously, and the watching crowd had hearts come out of their eyes, "Well, even if you don't remember me…I'll never forget _you._ You were the first man to ever hit my lovely face." Luffy's eyes widened in shock. When the hell had he even met her, much less hit her? "Yeah, and I really felt it!" She put her hand to her cheek, "And it was so hard!" She grinned and spread her arms out, "Now tell me…who's the most beautiful woman on the entire sea?!"

The entire massive crowd yelled, "YOU ARE!"

"That's right!" She yelled joyously, "There's not a man alive who wouldn't grovel at my feet, and I do love strong men…" She grinned up at Luffy, "So I'm going to make you _mine_ , Luffy!"

Luffy chuckled lightly, "You certainly look different, Alvida." He _finally_ realized who this woman was, "What Devil Fruit did _you_ eat?"

"Different?" Alvida asked, "Well, I suppose my freckles are gone."

Luffy sweatdropped, "I don't think that's it…" He waved his hand back and forth.

She grinned, "But I'm surprised that you managed to tell I ate a fruit. I don't look that different do I?"

But before Luffy could confirm that yes, she did look very much different, an explosion rang through the square. A massive chunk of one of the fountains hurtled right for Alvida as the crowd panicked! "Oh no! Lady Alvida is doomed!" The infatuated folk screamed in fear.

But she was just standing there calmly, a light smile gracing her lips. The chunk of carved stone hit her…and then slid right by her harmlessly and continued on to destroy a part of the town. "Hey, watch it." She pouted.

"You don't have to worry!" A new voice rang out, and this one Luffy recognized immediately. He bit back an irritated groan, "Her silky-smooth skin can never be marred, so you don't need to worry."

Alvida threw her coat off while winking, revealing a bikini top and a rich purple Captain's coat, "That's right! I partook of the Sube Sube no mi! My skin can no longer be marred by any attack." She grinned and crossed her arms, "But if you're going to become my man, there's someone you have to beat first. We teamed up just to find you."

Buggy threw his cloak off and stood there in all his glory, "Nothing but thoughts of your death have filled my mind since you defeated me, _Mugiwara_! Those thoughts gave me the strength to return to my crew! It was an epic adventure, full of laughter, tears, and friendship and…WHY AM I SAYING ALL OF THIS TO YOU?"

"How should I know, Buffoon?" Luffy had his cheek resting in his palm, while that elbow rested on his knee. He picked his nose with his other hand. He was the very picture of boredom.

"IT'S BUGGY!" Buggy roared over Alvida's rather loud giggling, "You won't be so insolent after I'm through with you!" The rest of his crew surrounded them and pointed guns at the civilians, "Freeze, landlubbers! You're about to see how ruthless I can be!" He grinned madly as he saw Cabaji in place on the tall building behind the scaffolding. He jumped off, holding a bladed piece of wood aiming to turn it into a makeshift set of stocks. It would hit Luffy in the neck and the blades would pierce the platform, trapping him with no leverage to make an escape. Buggy eyed the descent in anticipation practically shivering at the thought of having the man who humiliated him at his mercy.

Luffy just looked bored, " **Tekkai**." Cabaji finally was directly above him and crashed into his body. The wood shattered and shards went flying everywhere as Cabaji face-planted and skid next to Luffy.

"CABA-CHAN!" Buggy yelled in horror as Alvida looked on, awestruck.

Cabaji's arms shook as he struggled to get to his knees, before Luffy's entire hand grasped his face and squeezed. _Hard_. "That was dangerous!" Luffy admonished in a whiny tone, "You could have hurt someone!" He threw Cabaji off the scaffolding. Not once had he moved or even gotten up from his cross-legged stance.

 **-]|[-**

"Why do I have to carry the heavy end?!" Usopp roared at Sanji. The two were carrying a massive Elephant True Bluefin.

"After all those pushups with that stupid Marimo on your back, you shouldn't be complaining." Sanji smirked as he smoked, "Anyway, I saw a weird guy riding a lion in town."

A few meters away, Zoro was looking around wondering why the crowds had thinned so much this early in the day.

A few meters from _him_ , Nami was carrying her massive bag of clothes, "Man, the pressure has dropped way too low. This is going to be a _massive_ storm. How did it build up this quickly?" She sighed to herself, "Maybe it was a Devil Fruit." She stopped momentarily, "And that's too terrifying a thought to continue on. We better hurry back to the ship, otherwise we might not be able to set sail today. Now where the hell are they?" The four of them then met with little expressions of surprise, "Oh, there you all are. Where's Luffy?"

"He said he wanted to see the Execution Platform right? That's here isn't it?" Zoro asked. Nami noticed the two new blades he had found.

"Oh, there he is." Usopp said dully as he pointed, "And he's surrounded by enemy pirates,"

Nami facepalmed, "Why is he _on_ the platform? That idiot." She then put on her best smile, "Oh Sanji-kuuuun!"

Sanji gasped and fell to one knee before her, "Yes Nami-swaaaan?" Amusingly, Usopp didn't even budge, since he had been carrying most of the weight anyway. His face did turn red in anger though.

She dropped her bag into his arms, "Get that to the ship safely for me. You and Usopp head back now. We need the ship ready to sail."

"Anything for you, my beautiful flower!" The love struck man replied and took off, leaving Usopp to carry the huge fish by himself.

"Damn it Sanji! Get back here and carry your own damn fish!" Usopp took off behind him with a more uneven gait.

Nami sighed and took her staff out, before vanishing in a **Soru**.

Near the platform, Buggy was grinding his teeth looking at the look of pain on his commander's face, "Grrrrr…ALL PIRATES, SHOOT MUGIWARA!" They all – bar Alvida who was still looking at Luffy in admiration – whipped out their pistols and aimed at the bored boy on the Execution Platform. "FIRE!" Buggy sprayed the air in front of him with angry spittle as he made to pull the trigger on his gun.

" **CYCLONE TEMPO!** " A woman's voice rang out and all of a sudden, all but Buggy, Cabaji, and Alvida were picked up by a massive wind and hurled away. The wind didn't effect Alvida in the slightest, merely whipping around her smooth body, and both Buggy and Cabaji managed to stab the ground to keep from being blown away. The miniature cyclone ended, revealing two sticks in the cross formation flying in the air, which were caught by a leaping orange-haired girl who landed in front of them, smiling cheekily, "I'll thank you not to touch my Captain." She stuck her tongue out at them cheerfully.

Cabaji growled – Luffy's palm-print still an angry red on his face – and unsheathed his second sword while yanking his first from the ground, "You damn traitorous bitch, Nami! I'll show you not to hurt my crew!" he leapt into the air, ready to scissor-slice her pretty head off.

" **Sanjuroku Pound Ho!** " A lazy voice called out, and a dull air blade – more of an actual cannon really when Zoro used the blunt version – smashed straight into Cabaji and sent him flying, "You're still more of a clown than a swordsman." Zoro commented lazily as he materialized by Nami.

 **-]|[-**

In one of the buildings, the Marines had gathered. Smoker had finally gotten back to the plaza and Tashigi had been found by one of the grunts. They all were near a window overlooking the plaza, "Mugiwara is stronger than I thought." He said angrily. They watched as the tornado appeared, and he almost bit through his cigar. "So it's true. I see why more than the Captain got a bounty now. I should have taken him seriously from the start."

Tashigi was rubbing her eyes, having lifted her glasses up. She blinked owlishly, "Did that really just happen?"

A Marine grunt saluted behind them, "Sir, it does not appear to be caused by a Devil Fruit!"

Smoker growled, "Of course it wasn't. Did you not see the two sticks she used?" The grunt blinked, "If possible, try to get that weapon from her. The Higher Ups might be interested in learning from it."

The grunt felt a shiver go up his spine, "So we're still going to capture them Captain Smoker? When will we attack?"

Tashigi spoke up, "Initially we were going to let them take each other out and just clean up, but Luffy's crew seem to be on a whole other level. Just the three of them are more than a match for that entire massive group. We're going to have to fight."

"SIR! Roronoa Zoro has been spotted as well!" Another grunt with binoculars called.

Tashigi gasped and snatched them away, "!" She grit her teeth, "HIM?!"

"They're all monsters!" A much newer grunt was trembling in fear as he eyed the plaza.

"Don't worry." Smoker grunted, "We've never let a single crew escape, and we're not about to start today. Get ready for battle!"

 **-]|[-**

"Caba-chan!" Buggy found himself yelling again as he faced the three Straw Hats.

Nami and Zoro were both in front of the platform while Luffy was grinning happily up top. "Oii, Luffy! Are you done playing around yet?" Nami called, "We have to get out of here!"

"Eh, why?" Luffy called down in surprise.

"A massive storm is approaching! If we don't leave soon we might be stranded here for a couple days!" She called back, not taking her eyes off of the two remaining pirates. Indeed, the clouds were very dark now and positively roiling overhead. The way Alvida was staring at Luffy dreamily made her heckles rise. Unlike Luffy who hadn't recognized her at all at first, Nami had recognized her clothing style and mace. Now knowing that Devil Fruits existed, it wasn't too much of a skip in her mind to connect the dots. She certainly wasn't about to have an evil _bitch_ like Alvida stare at her Luffy like that.

"…" Luffy pouted. He had wanted to explore a bit more before setting out. Oh well. He stood and shot both fists into the air beside his head. He grinned madly, "I'M GOING TO BE… THE PIRATE KING!" He roared out. Smiles broke out on their faces as the plaza froze and stared at him in shock. The utter audacity of shouting those words at the top of one's lungs on the very platform where the previous King had met his end brought awe into many hearts that day. It felt very much like watching a new chapter unfold, right from the place the old one had ended.

And then lightning struck the platform, "LUFFY!" Nami screamed in shock as the entire execution platform burst into flames. The clouds had slowly been roiling and darkening overhead – far quicker than they rightly should have – and now the heavens opened up in a torrential downpour. Nami stared at the burning platform in disbelief, tears indistinguishable from the now-pounding rain drops starting to pour from her eyes as she watched the large structure collapse. Luffy's hat floated down and landed at her feet.

And then the rubble exploded. A giant beam of plasma erupted upwards and punched a hole straight through the clouds. After it petered off, smoke was rising from the cylindrical hole and Luffy jumped out, looking a little mad, "Stupid lightning." He mumbled as he bent over and picked up his hat. He hadn't even been able to put it on his head yet when Nami flung herself into his arms.

A random civilian turned to another in flabbergasted awe, "Hey, do you believe in god?" The man next to him was green-haired with tattoos and sharp teeth, and he was visibly trembling in excitement. The more uniform civilian was summarily ignored.

"Come on, let's SET SAIL!" Luffy roared, and the three of them took off running, leaving a catatonic Buggy staring at the remains of the rubble in shock.

Alvida shook herself and yelled, "Hey, wait for me! I want to join!" She was also summarily ignored.

 **-]|[-**

"Intercept them!" Smoker roared, "Don't let them get away! A quarter of you, go for Buggy and Alvida!"

"Sir, they're headed west where the first division is, but the downpour has gotten all of the gunpowder wet! Most of them had to retreat back to base to get more!"

Smoker ground his teeth, "That leaves the port unprotected! Damn it!" He looked skyward, "And they'll have a tailwind on top of it! It's as if some higher power is willing their escape!" He roared to the sky, " **WHITE LAUNCHER!** " His lower body turned into smoke and he rocketed away, yelling out, "As the Captain of this Division, I'll stake my reputation as the _White Hunter_! I WILL NOT LET THAT MAN LEAVE THIS ISLAND!"

 **-]|[-**

As they were running, a giant plume of smoke enveloped the plaza. Smoker appeared with his lower body turned into smoke, and he used it to propel himself at great speeds. His Kairoseki Jitte was grasped in a tight fist, and he appeared in a blink in front of Luffy. Luffy's eyes widened and his hand flashed to his back, yanking out his pipe. The two weapons hit each other so hard that a shockwave emanated out and pushed back the rain for a second, "You again?" Luffy whined, "Out of the way! We're heading to the Grand Line!" The bubble their shockwave created disappeared and the rain pelted them again.

Smoker growled, "I've never once let a single pirate slip through this island, and I'm not about to start now!"

Luffy growled and he knocked Smoker's arm and jitte back with his greater strength, "Maybe if you weren't so worried about your perfect attendance record, Nami wouldn't have had to suffer for so many years under that stupid shark! As it was, I had to do your damn job for you!" All thoughts of immediate escape had fled from Luffy's head. Now he wanted to pound Smoker's face in for a bit. Smoker's eyes narrowed angrily as Luffy's pipe smashed through his face, dispersing his head harmlessly into smoke. "Tch, you're a logia huh?"

"That's right!" Smoker's disembodied head said before he reformed, "And this time, you're not catching me off guard! **White Out!** " An enormous cloud of smoke started billowing from his arms and surrounding the three Straw Hats.

Nami growled, "We don't have time for this! **Cyclone Tempo!** " She threw he two staff pieces once more, and the massive wind she kicked up blew the smoke as well as Smoker backwards.

"Ready! Fire!" The rest of the Marines that had surrounded them aimed specifically for her, since they saw that her weird weapon was capable of blowing their Captain back.

Zoro growled and flashed in front of Nami, who had been prepared to simply weave around the projectiles with **Kami-E**. All three of his swords were out and the plaza was filled with the sounds of his blades slicing every single bullet fired clean in half and cancelling their momentum. The Marines backed up in terror at the demonic look in his eyes, "You did not just shoot at our navigator." It was definitely not a question. One Marine even fainted.

"Roronoa Zoro!" A female voice screamed. Zoro's eye twitched as the Marines released exultations of relief. He turned to her and grinned when he saw her sheathed sword, "You were making fun of me!" She screamed at him, "I'm going to take _Wado Ichimonji_ away from you!"

Zoro laughed darkly, "I'd like to see you try." He flashed the entire twenty meter distance between them in less time than it took her to blink and his new sword _Yubashiri_ crashed down towards her head. She let out a little squeak of shock and blocked it, though the blow forced her to one knee. With a grunt of exertion, she pushed back and Zoro back stepped a couple times.

She growled, "After all that talk about how you weren't a greedy man, you're revealed as a pirate! You tricked me! You never said you were Roronoa Zoro!"

Zoro raised an eyebrow, "And when exactly did I do that?" He sounded amused, "I told you I heard the name often, didn't I?" He sheathed two of his blades and took _Wado_ from his mouth.

"A scoundrel like you doesn't deserve a Meito like _Wado Ichimonji_!" She hissed, and swung sideways at him.

Zoro lifted his blade and deflected it easily, "Scoundrel?" He snorted, "There you go with your assumptions again!" His blade flashed and Tashigi gasped as the right sleeve of her jean jacket fell apart. She grit her teeth as she realized what that meant. That could have been her arm just as easily. He was playing with her. Zoro stepped back and started sheathing his blade. Her eyes widened, "I thought the same as you once, but the past few months have changed that. Just because I'm a pirate now doesn't make me a bad guy." He grinned fiercely, "My dream is on the Grand Line. I don't give a damn what other people think of me." Tashigi's eyes widened even further when he gave her a short bow and walked away.

He surprise lasted a couple steps before she grit her teeth and screamed at his back, "Why won't you take me seriously?! Is it because I'm a woman?!" Zoro's shoulders stiffened and he turned back, glaring at her. "I may not be as strong as a man, but to go easy on me is an insult! I DIDN'T PICK UP THIS SWORD TO PLAY GAMES!"

"LIKE I CARE ABOUT THAT!" He roared back, looking much like a Fishman with his sharp shark teeth. She jerked back at the volume, "That damn face! You look just like her!" She gasped as he clutched on to _Wado._ He couldn't possibly mean she looked like the previous owner, could he? "And you even say the same shit she used to! Stop being a damn copycat!"

"How rude!" Tashigi screamed in his face, their duel forgotten. "I live for my own goals! I didn't know your friend or what she was like, but if anything, she was copying me!"

Zoro growled, "She used to do the same shit you just pulled! She beat me every time and yet she always bemoaned how I'd surpass her just because I was a man! Stop insulting my skill!" Their foreheads were now smashed together and lightning was sparking between them. Suddenly he backed off almost making her trip, "If you want to prove women can be just as good as men, then you better get to the top!" She blinked in shock, "I will be the world's greatest swordsman!" He yelled at her, "So you better pour your damn soul into that blade if you want to take _this_ one!"

She couldn't stop staring at him, mouth slightly open. That… not a single person had ever actually acknowledged her dream. No one had ever believed she would have a chance at it. Every single person she ever fought had mocked her right up until she won. She shook herself, "You're just going to walk away?"

Zoro rolled his eyes, "Do you _want_ me to kill you?" He let out a sigh, "I'm not a murderer damn it. Go away!"

Tashigi's reply was cut off by Nami. "Damn it Zoro! We have to go! Stop playing with your girlfriend and get over here!" Both swordsmen stiffened and stared at her. Tashigi's jaw dropped as she eyed Nami standing above the smoking forms of her men, a small amount of lightning still crackling around them.

"What did you say, you damn witch?" Zoro growled.

Before Nami could reply, a loud bang from above drew their attention to the fight between the two logia.

As Zoro was defending Nami, Luffy had surged forward and caught up to the reformed Smoker. His pipe flashed once more and the resulting shockwave from the two weapons connecting with one another cracked the stone underneath their feet. Smoker grit his teeth as it immediately became clear that Luffy's physical strength was on a whole other level compared to his own. He was quite sure that if his jitte wasn't made of Seastone, it would have shattered after the first hit, much less the second. His arm jerked back and Luffy's body swung in a crescent arc, his left heel screaming through the air and connecting with Smoker's face.

His foot blew the smoke apart, and Smoker's disembodied voice rang through the howling wind, " **WHITE BLOW!** " His jitte was thrust forward with smoke from his arms propelling it at much greater speeds than would otherwise have been possible.

" **Kami-E!** " Luffy danced around the jitte which penetrated into the cobblestone and cratered it. Luffy tumbled through the air and landed on his feet a couple feet away, " **Rankyaku!** " Luffy's leg flashed upward and a crescent-shaped blade of wind flew towards Smoker. The kick cleaved Smoker in two and then split the building behind him cleanly in half, "Damn it you stupid smoke! Stay in one piece!"

Smoker chuckled gruffly, "Never met a Logia have you?"

"I _am_ a logia!" Smoker's eyes bugged out, "I just don't rely on it like you, stupid!" Smoker growled as Luffy laughed, "Shishishi! I don't know if I pity or envy you, Smokey! Your fruit isn't destructive, so you can use it all you want! But that means that it's all you use!" He grinned as Smoker started gritting his teeth, "I'm strong even without my fruit. You may have beat every pirate you've met so far but you're not winning here!"

"Stop underestimating me!" Smoker roared furiously as he yanked his jitte out of the ground, "I've trained my body to the breaking point! You won't be laughing so hard when you're in the slammer!" He turned his lower half into smoke and propelled himself upwards, intending on creating a massive dome of smoke so that there would be no way for any pirates to escape him.

But as he was rocketing up, Luffy simply flashed into existence above him with his leg raised high for an axe kick. "You're too slow!" Luffy roared gleefully and sent his leg crashing down. Smoker tried to get his jitte into its path but Luffy's heel caught him in the knuckles. This time, Smoker managed to turn to smoke quick enough, but that meant his jitte was knocked clean out of his hand and far away from the battlefield. "Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed at the look of rage on Smoker's face.

"Stop laughing Straw Hat!" Smoker growled, "Even if I don't have my jitte, you won't escape! You still can't hit me!" He roared, "So I'll keep you here until the weather gets too bad for you to sail in! **White Out!** " Another massive plume of smoke shot from Smoker, intending on engulfing Luffy. This time, the smoke kept pouring out without end.

Luffy was about to try to cut it with a Rankyaku, when one of Zoro's **Pound Cannon** attacks blew it back slightly. He looked down, "Luffy! We have to go!" Nami screamed at him, "The weather's just going to get worse!"

Luffy growled at the words, and his right arm turned golden and began shining, " **Enten no Taihō!** " Another sun lit the dark sky up. A titanic beam of plasma raced at the smoke cloud and barreled right through it. The smoke completely vaporized as the beam passed through it. Smoker just barely managed to make a panicked dodge as he saw the smoke not slowing the beam at all, and it saved his life.

The slightest sliver of the beam grazed his arm and he shrieked in agony as his jacket's sleeve disintegrated. His skin turned lobster red and started bubbling. Now, Smoker had been hurt before. After all, he didn't always have his devil fruit, and kids could be pretty damn mean. But he had _never_ experienced the sheer agony that accompanied such a savage burn. He clutched his arm and _howled_ as he fell from the sky. His last conscious thoughts before crashing through a building were, ' _He burned me! But how?! Even regular fire can't hur-!_ '

Luffy on the other hand, was staring at his smoking fist dumbly, "That…was bigger than usual." He blinked in shock. He then noticed Smoker falling and clutching his burned arm, and he almost felt a little bad. Still, he slapped a grin on his face as he raced to his crewmates, "Sorry Smokey, looks like my fruit wins!" Tashigi and Zoro had separated, and she was looking at Luffy as if she had seen a ghost, "You might want to go grab him. That burn looked bad." Luffy said casually. Tashigi seemed to struggle with herself for a moment, and threw Zoro one last look before running past them.

Luffy, Nami, and Zoro all grinned at each other and took off towards the coast. They had gotten about half a kilometer when the three froze. In front of them was a man in a black coat. Only his face could be seen. He had a massive grin on his face and tribal tattoos down the left side of his face, "Quite a fight." The man said, his grin not wavering.

Luffy stared at him expressionlessly, "Thanks." He grinned suddenly, "Here to see me off?"

"How could I not?" He looked to the sky, "A pirate huh? How fitting. The world is awaiting our answer."

"Shishishi!" Luffy started running past him with a bright grin on his face, followed by Nami and Zoro who stared at the man cautiously. He didn't turn around.

"GO AHEAD!" They heard behind them. They almost didn't hear it as the wind began picking up. It was howling much louder now. "FOLLOW YOUR CHOSEN PATH TO THE END!"

"Who was that Luffy!" Nami yelled to be heard over the howling.

"Shishishi!" Luffy only laughed. They burst onto the pier and blinked as they saw a lion and a man with a weird hat laying on the cobblestone covered in lumps. The ship was already rolling on the heavy waves, barely held to the pier by a fraying rope. Luffy grabbed his two crewmates and leapt out, using **Geppo** to get them back onto the ship, and even he had some minor difficulty doing so in the wind. "SET SAIL!"

"Hey Luffy…" Nami grinned and pointed at the island, "Isn't that Buggy's ship?"

Luffy squinted, and noticed the _Big Top_ moored quite a ways away from where the _Merry_ had been, "Yeah, it is!"

Nami grinned viciously, "Didn't Buggy destroy our ship the first time we met?" She asked with her tongue out slyly.

Luffy grinned back, and aimed his finger at the ship, as if his finger was a gun. His tongue was out of his mouth in concentration and one eye was closed, "Bang!" So maybe it _was_ a gun. A bright, compressed bullet of plasma shot out of his finger as his arm jerked. It seared the rain as it screamed towards the bigger ship, and when it hit the mast, exploded with a roar. Scraps of wood soared through the air as the main mast rocked and fell sideways into the drink. Luffy and the rest of the crew laughed, "TO THE GRAND LINE!"

 **-]|[-**

"There's a light there!" Usopp pointed out as the ship came very close to capsizing.

"Excellent!" Nami grinned, her hair matted down from the rain. Luffy was eyeing her the way he normally reserved for meat. "Beyond that light is… the entrance to the Grand Line!"

Sanji rolled an empty barrel onto the deck and grinned, "Okay! Shall we have our launching ceremony for entering that great ocean!"

"Do we _have_ to do it in the middle of a huge storm?" Usopp was looking rather blue.

Sanji ignored him and put his foot on top of the barrel, "To find All Blue!" He said.

Luffy grinned and placed his foot down, "To be the King!" he roared gleefully.

Zoro was next, "To be the World's Greatest Swordsman!" His confident smirk never one wavered.

Nami put her foot right next to Luffy's, "To map the entire world!"

Usopp's foot shook as he found a space, "T-to be a Brave Warrior of the Sea!"

"WE'RE GOING TO THE GRAND LINE!" They roared as one and lifted their feet straight over their heads, before bringing it crashing down and shattering the barrel.

 **-]|[-**

"Crap!" Luffy yelled, "The light is gone!"

"Well, it's a lighthouse." Nami chuckled, "The lights have to go off some time." She went right back to frowning though, as she grabbed Luffy – who was idiotically hanging upside-down from Merry's sheep figurehead using nothing but his legs – and hauled him inside. "Listen up!" She said, "As silly as it sounds, it appears as if all of the rumors I've heard about the Grand Line's entrance are true! Even this map I stole says the same thing! The entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain!"

"We have to run into a mountain?" Zoro asked, a dull look on his face. Usopp was busy running around in a panic.

"No, there's a canal." She sighed as she continued pouring over the map. "It's a massive canal riding _up_ the Red Line!" She declared.

Luffy had a gleeful look on his face, "We're going up a mountain?! WHOOO! It must be a mystery mountain!"

"That's stupid Nami!" Usopp's face was puffing up, "Canal or not, ships don't sail up!" Nami glared at him and he quailed. He busied himself with trying to turn the ship with the rudder. He then started trying harder. And harder. Until he was howling and grunting while trying to move it, not noticing the growing number of tic marks on Nami's head.

Zoro stared at the map, "Didn't you get this thing from that stupid clown Buggy? You sure we can trust it?"

Nami nodded, "The guiding light was definitely pointing straight for the canal. This is…the Reverse Mountain!"

"A little help over here!" Usopp finally shouted, his head growing titanic for a moment.

Nami growled, "Sanji will you just give him a hand so he'll let me think in peace?"

"Haiiii, Nami-swaaaan!" Sanji pirouetted to Usopp and helped him with the rudder, his one visible eye a heart. But he couldn't budge it either, "Eh?" He blinked, "Isn't this current a little strong?"

A lightbulb lit up above Nami's head, "That's it!" She yelled, "These monstrously powerful currents must be the key! If all four of the world's oceans point towards the Red Line and Reverse Mountain, then when they collide at the top they'll all spill out onto the Grand Line!" She bit her lip, "But Reverse Mountain is a Winter Island, so all the currents that collide into the Red Line will only be able to flow down to the depths." She sighed, "That means we only have one shot! If we miss the canal we'll splatter right into the Red Line and sink!"

"I've still never heard of ships going _up_ mountains before." Zoro said stubbornly.

"I've heard some things." Sanji grinned, "Half of the people heading to the grad line don't make it. This must be why."

"Why don't we just head south?" Zoro asked, pointing to the clearly-open seas that they could just cross to hit the Grand Line.

"No way!" Luffy denied, forming an X with his arms.

"That's right!" Nami sighed in relief, "There's a very good reason why we can't do that!"

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed, "It would feel all wrong if we cheated!"

"That's not it!" Nami lightly punched him in the head.

"Hey, why is the storm gone all of a sudden?" Usopp asked in shock. Nami froze.

"Usopp…what did you just say?" Nami turned creakily towards the window, like a robot.

"Hey, the storm is gone!" Zoro had walked out and looked up at the sails, "Where's the wind? They're not moving at all."

"Eheheh…ehehehe." Nami started laugh-crying, "We're in the Calm Belt."

"The Calm Belt?" Luffy asked, before turning around, "Hey look, the storm is still raging over there!" He pointed behind the ship.

"GET BACK TO THAT STORM!" Nami screamed, "GRAB SOME OARS AND PADDLE!"

"But the weather is great!" Usopp protested. And then the ship shook. They all stumbled as the Going Merry rocked on waves that hadn't been there a second ago. "An earthquake?! On the sea?!"

Nami sank to her knees and started crying, "It's too late." She sobbed piteously, "They're already here." The shipped rocked again, much harder this time, and started rising into the air. Giant walls of water rose and churned around them as well, before they ended up hundreds of meters in the air.

Most of the occupants of the ship turned blue, "THEY'RE HUGE!" They were right on the nose of an unbelievably massive Sea King. The one whose head they were on could have flossed its teeth with the Lord of the Coast that had taken Shanks' arm. It was a pale white with black stripes. There was a golden frog somewhere and even one that looked vaguely liked a puffy, furry flamingo.

Nami looked over to Luffy and gasped, "Even Luffy is scared!" She turned white.

Indeed, Luffy was trembling. That made a massive shiver go down all of their spines. They had never seen Luffy be scared of _anything_ other than his grandpa. And then he turned around and revealed a giant smile and a _stupid_ amount of drool leaking from his mouth. He was literally dribbling on the floor, "WHY ARE YOU DROOLING?!" They all yelled furiously.

Luffy swallowed and had meat in his eyes, "I remember now. Grandpa said that Calm Belt Sea Kings taste the best!"

"WE'RE NOT CATCHING ONE! IT COULDN'T EVEN FIT IN THE SHIP!" Luffy had the most heartbroken look on his face any of them had ever seen.

Sanji and Zoro had gathered all of the oars on the ship, "When they go down, we paddle as fast as we can!" Zoro said tightly.

"No, we're catching a Sea King!" Luffy declared angrily.

And then the Sea King sneezed and shot their boat back towards the storm. Usopp almost fell off but Luffy hurried and caught him as the ship flew through the air and over the other Sea Kings. From one second to the next, it went from bright and sunny to monsoon. "Oh good. It's only a storm we have to deal with." Usopp sighed in relief.

"Now do you get why we have to use the entrance?" Nami moaned from her position on the floor.

"Yeah, I get it." Zoro wasn't quite curled up into a ball, but he was clutching _Wado_ in a white fist.

And Luffy? "NOOOOO!" Luffy cried, rushing for the rudder, "Turn it around! We have to go back!" Nami dove onto his back and tried to pin him, but he just dragged her along, "Must! Eat! Sea King!"

Nami bit him in the neck and he stiffened, "If you don't stop it right now we're not having alone time for a month!" She hissed in his ear. Luffy groaned and fell with her on top of him, sobbing into the floorboards.

"I SEE IT! THE MYSTERY MOUNTAIN!" Usopp yelled.

All of a sudden, both Nami and Luffy were on their feet, thoughts of the mini-argument they had entirely forgotten, "IT'S HUGE!" Luffy gasped.

"I can't even see the top!" Nami yelled, "To the rudder! We have to make sure we don't crash!" The ship rocked as the currents underneath them intensified dozens of times. _Merry_ was no longer under their full control, and was racing towards the titanic rock wall in front of them.

"Nami! What do we do?!" Usopp yelled as Nami stared dead ahead, noting a small crack running up the wall.

She grinned and yelled back confidently, "STRAIGHT AHEAD!"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

Zoro had a pair of binoculars in his head and a dead look on his face, "You can't be serious…" He mumbled, "It's really flowing up…" The current was roaring _up_ the mountain, completely defying gravity. Ten stone arches framed the entrance they were racing towards.

"MOVE RIGHT! WE'RE OFF COURSE A BIT!" Luffy yelled, "MOVE US RIGHT!" He could barely be heard over the roaring of the ocean waters.

Sanji and Usopp pushed and pulled with all of their might, but the lever they used to control the rudder _snapped in half_. Luffy, Zoro, and Nami all went wide-eyed in panic as Sanji and Usopp crashed into one of the doors. "Shit!" Luffy yelled and jumped off the side of the ship.

"Luffy!" Nami gasped and raced to the rails.

Luffy had fallen just enough to where he was just barely holding the ship with both hands. His back was pressed firmly on the ship, " **GEPPO**!" His roar overpowered the waves and a massive impact rocked the ship to the right. " **GEPPO**!"

"LUFFY!" Nami screamed in panic, "YOU OVERCORRECTED! WE'RE TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT NOW!" Luffy jumped back on the ship in a panic and made to go to the other side, but stopped as he saw Zoro jump off instead.

Zoro hung himself off the side of Merry on the opposite side and drew _Wado_. " **Sanjuroku Pound Ho!** " He roared, purposefully making the wind blade as dull as possible. The waves practically exploded as the wind blade hit the water and pushed Merry slightly to port.

"That's perfect Zoro!" Nami yelled before another overcorrection could occur. Luffy hauled Zoro back onto the deck and slapped him in the shoulder with a grin. They sailed right in between the arches and had to steady themselves as the ship rocketed up the mountain. Sanji and Usopp had their arms over one another's shoulders and were dancing and hollering in glee. Nami let out a relieved sigh as they broke through the clouds and left the storm below them. "Now we just need to ride it to the top!"

"WE MADE IT!" They yelled in glee as they raced to the bow to watch.

"We're even above the clouds now!" Luffy exclaimed in awe. Indeed, they could no longer see the ocean behind them, and there was nothing blocking the sun above.

Nami sighed, "Oh, this would be such a nice place to tan if it wasn't cold. I wish we could come up here whenever." They watched as the summit came ever closer, and eyed the beautiful sight of the water at the top occasionally flash-freezing. They passed the summit and they ship flew up like a breeching whale, before pounding back down onto the waters going down into the Grand Line.

"This is it guys!" Luffy yelled gleefully, "The greatest sea of them all! It's up ahead!" They crashed into the sea of white in front of them, breaking right through the puffy clouds. All of them had massive grins on their faces and were letting their joy be heard.

And then they heard the groaning. "Nami-swan! I see a mountain up ahead!" Sanji yelled in panic.

"No way! There's not supposed to be anything in front of us! After the twin capes it's just ocean!"

"Then what the hell is that?!" Zoro pointed with a slightly blue tinge to his forehead.

They blinked as the dark shadow came into full sight once there were no more clouds to go through, "IT'S A WHALE!" The whale was quite possibly on the same level as some of the smaller Calm Belt Sea Kings. It was so huge that Merry could have fit entirely on just the tip of one of its massive, sharp teeth. It had a round eye and blue skin. The tip of its snout was covered in a crisscrossing of heavy scars.

"I can't see it's eyes!" Nami yelled, "It can't have seen us yet!'

"There's a hole to our left! We can squeeze by it! Hard to port!" Zoro yelled at Usopp.

"THE RUDDER'S LEVER IS BROKEN!" He screeched in terror.

"PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT!" Zoro roared as he and Sanji tried to help move the tiny stump of broken wood.

"I have an idea!" Luffy yelled and he dove onto Merry's bow, " **Geppo!** " He roared and kicked. The ship slightly slowed, but the current pushing them forward was just too strong. This time Luffy was fighting it directly, rather than trying to adjust their direction. Luffy's single effort was miniscule, " **GEPPO**!" He roared again, pushing even harder. He just kept yelling it, over and over, slowing the ship just slightly each time. His eyes widened as he ran out of time, and was forced to haul himself back onto the ship. Merry had slowed just enough that a crash wouldn't be catastrophic, but there was definitely a casualty. Merry's figurehead snapped upon hitting the whale, even as the ship bounced back. Luffy eyed it as it spun through the air and landed back on the deck, his eyes darkened by the brim of his hat.

"We're saved!" Zoro yelled and grabbed the paddles, "Let's go before it's too late!" The ship paddled to the side, and they froze as they looked at the whale's massive eye. It was simply sitting there calmly without moving.

As they paddled, the whale started to _wail_. Its call was like the loudest foghorn they had ever heard. The sheer power of the sound waves rocked the ocean and the ship. Sanji cringed as he grabbed hold of his ears, as did the rest of them, "MY EARS!"

The whale calmed and Nami let out a shaky sigh, before turning slightly blue as she looked at Luffy, "Luffy…what are you…"

Luffy had a furious look on his face, "You… WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY SPECIAL SEAT!" He roared at the whale and let loose a **Rankyaku**. He didn't even bother yelling the name in his fury. The blunt kick smacked right into the whale's eye. Nami turned white and stared at him with a gaping mouth.

"YOU IDIOT!" They screamed as a whole as the whale continued staring out at nothing. When they stopped, everything was quiet for a moment. And then the massive pupil looked down. And it snorted angrily.

Luffy was growling furiously, "HOW WAS THAT YOU DAMN BASTARD! BRING IT ON!"

"SHUT IT YOU MORON!" Usopp and Zoro had their eyes popping out with their teeth sharpened as they both kicked him in the head.

"BWOOOOOOO!" The whale roared as it opened its massive mouth, sucking in thousands of gallons of water. She ship rocked as they were once more caught in a current, this time straight into the whale's belly.

"NOOOOOO!" The Straw Hats wailed in panic as they were sucked in, "Luffy!" Nami screamed as she saw Luffy fall off the boat. He managed to catch himself onto a tooth with **Geppo** and then started climbing the whale just as its maw closed.

"I'll save you guys!" Was the last thing they heard. Luffy flew up the side of the whale and started pounding it as its massive head started descending, "HEY! GIVE ME BACK MY FRIENDS WHALE! NO! DON'T DIVE STUPID!" He roared, stomping hard enough that it tried to shake him off. It actually _felt_ the impact. "Eh?" His head tilted to the side as he eyed a…hatch? What in the world was a hatch doing on a whale?

And then the whale finished its dive.

 **-]|[-**

"What do you think?" Nami asked hesitantly.

"What do I think?" Zoro asked?

Usopp was too busy stuttering to himself to answer, so Sanji said, "Well, I was pretty sure we were just swallowed by that whale." They then eyed the island that they were casually nearing with deadpan looks on their faces.

"Is this a dream?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, probably a dream." Zoro confirmed. There was a house on the island, as well as a fold-up chair.

"Then…what are those doing on the island?" Nami asked blankly.

"A dream Island." Zoro replied.

Usopp sighed in relief, "Yeah, what a nice dream island."

"Dream clouds?" Sanji asked, looking at the sky.

"Dream clouds." Usopp confirmed. The sea in front of them exploded, revealing a giant squid, "Dream squid?"

Beat.

"DREAM SQUID?!" They all yelled. Nami and Zoro drew their weapons while Usopp scrambled back in fear. But before they could act, three harpoons penetrated the squid and killed it instantly, "Looks like there's someone there after all." Zoro grinned.

"Where's Luffy?" Usopp moaned, "I want to go home!"

 **-]|[-**

"What the hell is this?" Luffy's head was tilted so far to the side his ear was almost on his shoulder. He turned around and then around again, "Why is there a hallway inside a whale?!" He started running forward into the darkness.

 **-]|[-**

Slowly, the sounds of light grunts and the yanking of rope could be heard from inside the house. Then, a very stocky and tough looking old man stepped into the light. The very top of his head was the shiny color of bald skin, and he had white hair descending down his shoulders. He also had two tufts growing on his chin going opposite directions, with a very fat lower lip/jaw compared to the upper side of his face. He was wearing a red shirt with a purple and yellow design on it, shorts, glasses, and a seaweed neckless with some pieces of jewelry on his arms. If it wasn't for the _flower_ growing out of his head – yellow transitioning to purple near the stem, which was his head – he might have looked like a normal old man.

"A flower?" They all tilted their heads in puzzlement. The great squid the old man had killed was still lying between the island and the ship. Sanji started to sweat as their eyes met. The old man's gaze seemed to be boring straight through him, into his soul. The old man started to pace to the right, not taking his eyes off of the Straw Hats. Every second that passed, the feeling of dread running down Sanji's spine intensified. And then the old man sat down and snapped open a newspaper, completely ruining the dramatic tension, "SAY SOMETHING YOU JERK!" Sanji roared.

The old man tilted his head their way. Usopp yelled at him, "You wanna fight you old bastard?! We've got cannons!"

The old man's eyes snapped open furiously, making Usopp cringe away. After a few seconds of soul-piercing staring, his rough voice rang calmly in the air, "You better not, or someone will die."

Usopp turned blue, while the rest of them got ready, "Oh, and just who would that be?" Sanji asked.

"Me." The old man said, almost sending Nami face first into the boards in exasperation.

"Listen you!" Sanji roared again. He looked ready to jump out and strangle the old man, "This asshole is fucking with us."

"Hey, calm down dartboard." Zoro chuckled, "Hey old man! You got any idea where we are? Who are you?"

His eyes snapped open furiously again, piercing their souls. A few seconds passed, "Isn't it polite to introduce yourselves first?"

Zoro blinked, "Oh…right. My bad. I'm…"

"My name is Crocus." The old man said, "I'm the lighthouse keeper of the Twin Capes. I'm 71. My sign is Gemini."

"Can I cut him?" Zoro held _Wado_ in a trembling hand furiously as Crocus was saying that his blood type was AB and going into increasingly more irrelevant information.

"Where you are? How dare you run your mouth while barging into my private resort. Does it look like we're in a rat's belly?"

Usopp cringed, "So we really were eaten?" He looked around, "But this doesn't look like the inside of a whale's belly."

"I don't want to be digested!" Nami cried out.

Again, Crocus's eyes snapped open furiously. This time, the Straw Hats all yelled out, "WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT!"

"Haven't you ever heard of a running gag?" Crocus groused in disappointment.

"THAT WAS A GAG?!"

Crocus nodded to the side, "There's the exit, unless you rather go out the back end." Indeed there was a giant metal door on the side of the sky.

The pirates finally looked at it in puzzlement, "The fuck?" Zoro couldn't help but ask.

"Why is there a door in the sky?!" Nami growled angrily. She was really feeling made fun of right about now, and was almost ready to start flinging tornados.

"It's painted!" Usopp gasped, and they all took a closer look. Every detail of the sky was completely frozen, down to the seagulls. "It's all painted! On the inside of a whale's stomach! What the hell?!"

"Call it a doctor's playful mind. It's a hobby." Crocus said lackadaisically.

"What the hell are you even doing in here?!" Nami roared at him.

Zoro facepalmed, "Let's just get out of here." He mumbled through his fingers. And then the entire area started to shake and churn, "What!"

Crocus sighed, "Back at it already, Laboon?"

"Look!" Usopp yelled, "The island is a ship, and it's made of metal! That must mean that wood will eventually dissolve in this stomach acid!"

"What do you mean, old man? Whose Laboon? What's happening?!" Sanji yelled at him.

Crocus looked at them calmly despite the churning of acid waves, "Laboon is the name of this whale." He sighed and looked down, "He's ramming his head into the Red Line, just as he's been doing for over four decades!" Their eyes opened wide in shock.

"That's right!" Nami gasped, "It's head was full of scars and it's cry sounded mournful!"

"Is he trying to kill this whale from the inside?!" Usopp growled angrily.

"The whale isn't our responsibility!" Zoro said, "We just have to get Luffy and get out!"

"What did that idiot old man just do?!" Nami squeaked in shock, "He jumped in! He's going to get digested!"

 **-]|[-**

"Damn it!" Luffy roared as he smashed face-first into yet another metal wall, "What the hell is this stupid whale doing?!" He had enough, and punched one of the walls with his fingers extended, clawing right in and rooting himself to it. Even with the tremendous rocking, the only thing taking damage now was the wall. "Damn it, I have to find them! They have to be in here somewhere!" He jumped and roared, " **Geppo**!" Now he rocketed forward, not touching any of the walls at all.

Far ahead of him, two strange-looking individuals were standing with their backs to the doors. "Yosh!" The slender male of the group had a bit of a ditzy sounding, effeminate voice. He had red-orange hair and green clothes, with a golden crown on his head. Two swirly-looking nines were drawn on his face, below his eyes. "Our infiltration has been successful, Miss Wednesday. Behind this door is the stomach, and likely the old man. We must eliminate him! Everything is for this whale!"

"Yes, Mr. 9!" The female was a gorgeous, slim and curvy woman with blue hair drawn up into a ponytail that fell down to her bum and black eyes. Her shirt was a spaghetti-strap with swirls all over it, obviously meant to draw attention to her more-than-generous chest. She also had a green coat with a furry collar over her shoulders. "This whale is a precious sweet honey for our town!" They both held rather large guns in one hand with their pinkies extended.

"Okay, Miss Wednesday? We'll open the door with a ' _three, two, one, baby!_ ' Don't let down your guard!" Nine told her.

"Roger, Mr. 9! I'm ready at any time!" She replied firmly.

Speaking of guards being up, "OUT OF THE WAY!"

"Huh?" The two weird people said, and then started screaming in panic as Luffy came out of the darkness like a speeding bullet and hammered straight into them before they even had a chance to get out of the way.

Inside the stomach, Crocus was climbing up an iron ladder near the huge exit door when the smaller door on a platform burst open and spat out Luffy and the two idiots playing at being secret agents.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled happily.

"Oh, hey guys! Everyone's alright!" Luffy waved cheerfully, not really being heard over the hollering of the two he'd crashed into.

"Oh no Miss Wednesday! We're going to land in the acid sea!" Mr. 9 screamed in terror.

Luffy got tired of it and kicked out to the side, sending himself speeding towards the ship. "This is a crazy whale!" He declared as the other two splashed into the acidic drink.

Nami punched him, "It's your fault we're in here you idiot!" She sighed, and then grabbed him by the cardigan and kissed him in relief. Sanji immediately started sulking and drawing imaginary circles on the ship's floor in dust.

Zoro sighed, "Should we grab those two weirdoes over there?" He pointed at the two idiots who were trying and failing to swim because they _refused let go of their huge, heavy guns._

Sanji laid eyes on the female and his visible eye turned into a heart, "YES!" He leapt in the acid and saved the girl, while the man had to grab his pants and was violently kicked up and down as Sanji swam back to the _Merry_. They heard the overblown foghorn that was the sound of Laboon roaring furiously reverberate through the stomach.

Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. The entire area calmed down, and the waves stopped roiling. Within a matter of a few moments, the entire acid ocean went back to being pristinely smooth, "Hey, the whale calmed down!" Nami said happily, "Maybe we can get out of here now!" She was leaning against Luffy who was leaning against the railing with his arms around her waist.

"Yeah…but first." Zoro stared down the two agents, "We saved you for the time being. But now, who are you?"

Miss Wednesday was cringing away from Sanji, who was officially in love-struck mode. "Mr. 9…these are pirates!"

"I…I know…Miss Wednesday! But if we talk to them…perhaps they'll understand…" Nine was quite shaky.

"You thugs are still here?" Crocus sounded quite angry as he appeared again, "While I draw breath, you shall never harm Laboon!"

"Whose that old man? And whose Laboon?" Luffy asked, out of the loop.

His crew couldn't answer him, because the blue-haired girl let out an evil-sounding giggle, "Even if you say so, we can't leave!" She stood up with her gun clicking on the boards.

"Taking down this whale is our mission!" Both of them still had their trigger hand pinkies extended out, as if they were about to drink from a cup of tea. "We won't let you interfere with our whaling mission this time! We'll open an air vent in his stomach!" They stood next to each other and aimed at the stomach. For some reason, they aimed at where the old man would actually be able to block, rather than the rest of the giant stomach. Luffy got behind them with a grin and poked each weapon so that they were pointing at each other. Neither noticed while the rest of his crew held back snickers, "Let's go baby!"

BOOM!

Two fried idiots, coming right up!

 **-]|[-**

"Laboon is an Island Whale." Crocus said as they all sat on his island ship, waiting for Laboon to rise out of the ocean, "It's the largest whale in the world, and it normally only lives in West Blue. These guys here-" he indicated the tied-up agents, "Come from a nearby town. They've been trying for nearly a year to kill Laboon for his meat. Laboon would probably feed their greedy bellies for two or three years." He glared at the singed-looking agents, who were trying to make themselves look very small, "But they won't succeed. As long as I draw breath, they won't hurt this whale!"

"But why does Laboon keep pounding his head on the Red Line? What is he trying to do?" Nami asked.

Crocus sighed unhappily, "Laboon came through Reverse Mountain with a certain friendly pirate crew. He was really young back then. You could have fit him on a dinghy." He smiled as he reminisced, remembering how the pirates would often ride Laboon while waving mugs of alcohol around, "They had been traveling together for a couple months by then. Laboon had gotten separated from the rest of his pod, and had come to see those pirates as his family. But the Grand Line was even scarier then than it is now. Their ship had been damaged by the Reverse Mountain and so they stayed here with me for almost a year. We became great friends during that time. When the pirates left to continue on their trip, they left Laboon here with me, promising to come back for him after they made it through the Grand Line. Laboon understood, and waited patiently for three years for them to come back as promised. And then four. And then five." He shook his head, "That was fifty years ago. He still thinks his friends are coming back." He finished quietly, drawing a gasp from Nami and a few others. Miss Wednesday in particular looked surprisingly shocked and saddened at the tale.

By now, they had made it past the huge doors and were at the final set leading to the outside world, "This waterway is cool! Why did you build it inside a whale?"

"Laboon is too huge. I'm a doctor, but even I wouldn't be able to treat him from outside!" Crocus replied.

"Doctor!" Luffy grinned, "Want to join us on our tr-"

"Fat chance, idiot. Who would look after Laboon?" Crocus snorted, "Beside, I'm too old for this shit. That's a young man's adventure."

"A real sky!" Luffy ignored the harsh words to yell gleefully at the bow of the ship.

"What do we do with these idiots?" Zoro asked, pointing to said idiots.

Luffy waved a hand back and forth, "Eh, leave em tied up for now. Don't want them trying to hurt the whale again." Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 blanched. Luffy noticed something that had fallen near his feet. It was some kind of glass bauble on a purple leather band. He picked it up and examined it curiously.

Crocus glared at them, getting expressions of fear from the two who weren't focused on Luffy, "You should just toss them overboard." Then he sighed again and turned, "No matter. Idiots have been trying for years to kill Laboon. I'll never let them." Luffy grabbed the two after putting the bauble in his pocket and hauled them over his shoulder as they all disembarked from _Merry._ There were a few repairs that needed to be done on the ship before they could set sail, so there was no sense staying aboard.

"So, he's been waiting for fifty years huh? They've sure kept him waiting a long time." Luffy said as he relaxed on a rock. Nami was curled up next to him and looking curiously at the item Luffy had handed her, since it looked kinda like one of those compass thingies Makino had tried to teach him to use.

Tried.

"This is the Grand Line." Sanji snorted, taking a deep drag from his cigarette, "Those guys said they'd be back in a couple years. It's been fifty. That's all the answer you need." He exhaled, "They're dead. He'll be waiting here till the end of time."

Usopp banged his mug on the table. It was only the fact that it was mostly drained that kept him from spilling his drink, "You don't know that! They could come back! Don't be so damn cynical! It's the heartbreaking story of a whale who lost his friends!"

Crocus sighed sadly, rubbing at his eyes, "I'm afraid that reality is crueler than that. A long time ago, news reached me from a reliable source that the pirates had failed. They escaped the Grand Line."

"What!" Nami screeched furiously, "And they just abandoned poor Laboon here?! How cruel could they be!" Luffy's way of thinking had influenced her far more than she had thought. She was _seething_ , "How dare they leave their nakama behind!" She then stopped, her anger dulling for a moment, "Wait a minute! They would have had to cross the Calm Belt to escape without coming back here!"

"That's right. That's the only reason their fate is uncertain." Crocus confirmed despondently, "But even if they're alive, they'll never come back here. The seasons…the climates… the ocean currents… even the air currents! Everything about this place is a nightmare! This is an ocean made to _break_ everyone trying to come across it! The weak of heart – men who would rather risk the Calm Belt than stay a second longer – are devoured by this sea!"

"So they did abandon Laboon!" Usopp roared furiously, "And even after fifty years, he still believes in those jerks! It's way too cruel!"

"Why not tell him?" Nami was clenching her fists hard, "He can understand can't he? Why are you keeping it from him?"

Crocus gave her a look, "Why do you think he roars and hits his head on the Red Line?" he asked sadly, "I did tell him. Everything. But he won't listen. He's convinced this rock face is the only thing keeping him from his friends. He refuses to face the truth." He looked down, "After all these decades…if he accepts it, he'll lose his reason for having waited for so long. He has no way home… and even if he did, he _has_ no home any longer. He'll never be able to find his pod." Crocus had a stiff upper lip and a calm look to him, but it was clear that he was only just keeping himself from crying as he stared up at Laboon, who was simply sitting quietly there with his head pointed straight up, "Look at those scars on his head. If he keeps ramming his head on the Red Line, he'll surely die. We've been together for fifty years. I can't abandon him, even if they lied to me too."

 **CRASH**

Luffy had gotten up from his place next to Nami, but his foot had hit the ground so hard that they felt a mini tremor. His face was shadowed by his hat as he took another step, before he leapt up into the air. The ground he was on shattered and cratered, sending shocks of fear racing up the spines of the two agents.

"What is he..!" Crocus yelled, eyes going wide in shock.

Luffy flew towards Laboon – who hadn't noticed a thing – and did a front flip, " **RANKYAKU**!" His heel dropped, and a massive wind blade raced through the air and sliced a gouge in Laboon's hide.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" Every single other person there roared in fury and terror as blood spurted from the whale's head.

"!" Laboon's eyes started to tear up slowly, before he got a slightly _mad_ look in them, "BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Laboon roared in agony and started to thrash, sending massive waves in every direction. Laboon stiffened and glared at Luffy, before diving and sending his tail over to slam into the air-hopping boy. Luffy met the tail with a punch, and the resulting shockwave almost bowled over the two agents.

"WHAT IS HE?!" The two terrified people screamed.

Laboon breeched and threw himself at Luffy, who met him with a kick. But even he couldn't overpower a whale like that when it was at ramming speed. Laboon crashed head first into the Red Line with Luffy under his head and shattered the rock. "LUFFY!" His crew yelled in fear.

Suddenly, Laboon was thrown off, revealing a dirty, but otherwise perfectly fine Luffy. He was grinning widely, "Rankyaku!" He roared again, sending a blunt wind cannon this time at Laboon, who rocked back, before charging forward and squishing Luffy against the Red Line again. Laboon drew back and started swimming forward, roaring in fury all the while. But what Luffy did made him stop in confusion. He threw his hand up and yelled, "It's a draw!"

"Bwooo?" Laboon just looked confused.

"I'm strong aren't I? You are too aren't you boy?"

"Bwooo!" Laboon roared back.

"You really want to win don't you?" Luffy grinned, "So our fight's not finished yet! We have to fight again!" He walked forward, "Your old friends are dead, but now you've got a rival!" Laboon's eye started to tremble, "We'll definitely have to battle again to see who the strongest is!" Tears started to leak from the giant whale's eyes, "I'm going around the Grand Line now! When we come back, I better not see that you've continued hurting yourself! GOT THAT!"

Laboon threw his head towards the clouds and let out the happiest cry Crocus had heard from him in decades.

 **-]|[-**

Luffy's ' _modern art_ ' had made a comeback, with his misshapen Jolly Roger painted on Laboon's head, "There!" He yelled happily. He was completely slathered in paint, and was holding a gigantic brush, "That mark is our contract, so you better not scuff it up! Don't go ramming your head and erasing it! Got it?"

"Bwooo!" Laboon chirped – could _chirp_ really be used when Laboon was so damn huge? – in agreement.

Nami was smiling happily at the happier resolution to the conflict, "Time to plan the voyage!" She said cheerfully as she got a map out and placed her compass on the table.

Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 were sitting there – still tied up – and mumbling to each other while alternating with staring at Luffy in fear. Sanji was busy in the kitchen preparing his Elephant Bluefin while Usopp was making some repairs to the ship. Zoro was…sleeping. Quite deeply too, if his snores were any indication.

Nami's scream jarred everyone in hearing. Sanji came out of the ship carrying a huge plate in each hand, one on his head, and even one with a leg. How he managed to get around with his one-legged pirouetting was beyond understanding, "Nami-swaaaan! Whatever is the matter my goddess? If it's lunch you want, it's ready."

As the Straw Hats gathered around, Nami was panicking, "The compass is broken!" She pointed to it, and it was spinning more than Sanji, "It won't stop spinning!"

Miss Wednesday finally got past her fear to start laughing quite loudly. They turned to her with questioning glares, though Nami idly mused that she had quite a good Queen Bitch Laugh, "You silly pirates! Did you come here intending to throw your lives away? Are you really a navigator?" She asked Nami condescendingly. Nami's eyes narrowed angrily.

"While she is being quite abrasive for a _prisoner_ -" Crocus glared at her, making the girl clam up again, "She has a point. Did you not do _any_ research? That useless thing would be better served at the ocean floor here on the Grand Line. It's not broken, but that doesn't mean it's useful."

Nami gasped, "Is it the magnetic field?" She cottoned on almost immediately.

"Exactly." Miss Wednesday replied, though much more timidly this time, "Every island on the Grand Line is rich in magnetic minerals. Every single island has its own magnetic field, so it's impossible for a regular compass to properly read the planet's field."

"And to make matters worse, none of the currents follow any regular patterns. Neither do any of the winds. As a navigator, I'm sure you realize how dangerous that is. If you were to set sail without knowing this you'd perish for sure. Without any direction, your journey would be completely useless."

"I didn't know." Nami rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "So we're stuck here? How can we navigate if our tools don't work?"

"You need a Log Pose." Miss Wednesday said.

"What's that?"

"It's a special compass." Crocus said. He would have continued, but Luffy – mouth full of the ignored Bluefin – interrupted him.

"So it's a weird compass?" He asked through his chewing. Crocus nodded, telling him that it did look kind of weird. Luffy swallowed the meat in his mouth, "You mean one of these things?" he held up the Log Pose he'd gotten back from Nami in question.

"Yes, that's it!" Crocus confirmed.

"WAIT! THAT'S MINE!" Mr. 9 screamed in panic, as Miss Wednesday stiffened.

Nami stuck her tongue out at them, "Pirate!" She chirped cheerfully as she grabbed it from Luffy, pecking him on the lips. The two agents deflated. "So, this is a Log Pose huh? It has no markings."

Crocus had his arms crossed, "It doesn't need any. Every island on the Grand Line has its own unique magnetic field. Therefore you must record each magnetic field on your journey, which will lead you to your next island. Each one connects to the next in the chain. The Log Pose is the only thing you can depend on in the Grand Line in terms of navigation. This mountain is the starting point, and you pick one of seven different paths here. But no matter which path you choose, all paths converge on one final island in the end. _Raftel_. In all of history, only one man has led a crew on that perilous journey and made it to the end. Gold Roger!"

"That must be where One Piece is!" Usopp crowed in excitement.

"It's certainly a theory." Crocus said, "No other legend is as tempting as that one! But only one man has ever made it. No one else has reached that island."

Luffy grinned, "Make that two, old man." The two stared each other down, and a wide grin appeared on Crocus's face as well. The two agents looked flabbergasted, but after watching him _punch out the whale_ they couldn't just flat out doubt him. "Anyway, I'm full! Let's set sail!"

Sanji and Usopp finally turned to the plates and their eyes bugged out, "YOU ATE EVEN THE BONES?!" Sanji growled furiously, "Luffy, you bastard! This tuna was supposed to be for Nami-swan to enjoy the most!" He kicked his Captain square in the face, shooting him past Nami.

"We'd better be careful with this. Our entire journey rests on this staying saf-" She was saying, right as Luffy flew past her so fast that the Log Pose shattered. She stared at it blankly, a dead smile on her face.

"My Log Pose!" Mr. 9 screamed furiously.

"Damn it Sanji!" Luffy roared. He vanished from this air and kicked Sanji in the jaw right back, flinging him into the air.

Nami's arm dropped and she reached under her skirt and assembled her staff, " **CYCLONE TEMPO**!"

"WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!" Miss Wednesday was right back to being utterly terrified as Nami flung a freaking _tornado_ at Sanji, sending him crashing into the Red Line. As the grit cleared, he was ass over teakettle in a crack on the Red Line and his one visible heart-eye was spinning.

The terrified Nami buried her anger and turned to Crocus, "What do we do! These idiots bro-"

"Relax." Crocus chuckled. "You can have mine as thanks for helping Laboon. It's not like I ever go anywhere anyway."

Suddenly, they heard a strange clacking sound from above. Mr. 9's jaw dropped and he broke into a flop sweat. Miss Wednesday also stiffened up and let out a little squeal of fear, "Oh no!" He yelled, "It's the Unluckies!"

All of the people there – Laboon included - looked up and saw what appeared to be a spotted otter riding a vulture wearing aviator goggles. "Oh, it's an otter riding a vulture." Nami said blankly.

"Huh, it _is_ an otter riding a vulture." Luffy chuckled to himself.

"Why is an otter riding a vulture?" Zoro asked, and then his voice somehow went even more deadpan, "Is that a bomb?" The otter had a sort of shell in its hand which it was whacking on something hard the vulture was wearing. That was what was causing the clacking sound, and then the fuse on something lit up and was thrown directly at the two weirdoes with the crew. Zoro sighed, "Is everything trying to kill us today?" He asked no one in particular as he unsheathed one of his swords, ignoring the two idiots screaming their heads off. He swiped twice with it and sheathed it. The first blade was sharp, and it cut straight through the explosive and ruined the ignition mechanism. The gunpowder in it dropped uselessly to the ocean. The second blade was blunt and it smashed straight into the vulture and knocked the two animals right out of the sky. The otter screamed in terror as the smoking vulture descended with swirls in its eyes, before being silenced by the Red Line.

The two agents gaped at Zoro, before turning to each other and whispering urgently, "Is everyone in this pirate crew terrifying?" She hissed.

"What do we do, Miss Wednesday? Do we even try?" He didn't have to elaborate. He knew she would understand. But Miss Wednesday suddenly felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She just barely managed to stop herself from grinning to herself.

She turned to Luffy, "Excuse me, Mr. Captain?"

Luffy looked at her in boredom, "Eh, just call me Luffy. What's your name anyway?"

She blinked, surprised that he didn't know that by now, "I'm Miss Wednesday. This is Mr. 9."

Luffy stared at her blankly, "Your _real_ name, dummy."

"Ah…!" She balked, "We…we can't say! I'm sorry! Our work requires us to be secretive! Our company's motto is 'mystery!' That's all we can say!"

Luffy continued staring at her, arms crossed, before finally waving a hand back and forth, "Fine, fine. What is it?"

"Could we please hitch a ride on your ship back home?" She asked, bowing her head, "Both our boat and our Log Pose are now gone, so we can't get back home. It's not far from here! It's one of the first islands on the Grand Line, called Whiskey Peak. We just want to go home! We promise to repay you!"

"I wouldn't trust them." That came from Crocus obviously, "They've been up to no good since they got here."

"Plus they tried to kill Laboon." Nami said, and the two balked. Nami walked to them, "Why should we help you?"

"It's fine." Nami turned to Luffy in surprise. He was grinning lightly at Miss Wednesday, "We'll take you to Sake Summit then. It's as good a route as any, isn't it?" The girl's face lit up in joy.

Nami sidled up to him, "Care to explain? And it's Whiskey Peak." She whispered in his ear.

"Shishishi…" He chuckled, "Just a feeling. This could be fun."

She smiled back, and disengaged, "Alright then! Time to set the Log Pose."

"You _sure_ you want to take these two? Once you choose a route, you can't change it." Crocus tried advising Luffy again.

"It's fine!" Luffy grinned, "If we don't like it, then we can just sail around again."

Crocus couldn't help but break out into a grin of his own, "Alright then. Make sure to set the Pose using the map."

"It's all set already." Nami smiled happily, "It's pointing to Whiskey Peak!"

"Well alright then!" Luffy grinned and hopped off his rock, "Let's set sail! Thank you for everything, flower guy!"

"Thank you for the Log Pose!" Nami waved as they all piled onto the repaired _Merry_ , Luffy at the bow on his repaired special seat. The ship's rope reeled back in, and they took off at a good clip. Laboon's cries behind them could still be heard, even when they could no longer see the whale.

As the ship disappeared into the horizon, Crocus turned serious, "Could that bunch of pirates be the ones we've been waiting for? He has a weird aura to him, eh Roger?"

 **-]|[-**

 **That's a wrap! We've finally made it to the Grand Line! Whooooo!**

 **So, we saw the return of scaredy-cat Nami for once!** ** **Hope you all didn't think she was gone for good.** She may be more confident, but all non-Monkey-Ds of the crew are not quite to Luffy's level. Sea Kings that big will definitely scare the soul out of you.  
**

 **Luffy didn't get almost executed!**

 **Pffff**

 **As if I even considered going with that scene. There was no way I could work it in without breaking even my own suspension of disbelief, and frankly I didn't even want to. Like hell I was going to randomly have Buggy find some random Seastone in the correct shape to make a makeshift set of stocks. Where the hell would he even find anything like that other than the Marine base? That would draw too much attention to them if they tried.**

 **I'm sure some of you may think that the smile during his execution was a character defining moment for Luffy, but I** _ **kind of**_ **disagree. Kind of. It seemed that way because we saw it from an outsider's perspective. We got an insight into Smoker during it. But for Luffy, it wasn't anything special. For him it was just Tuesday.**

 **Let's see… I hope Luffy getting a hit on Smoker without his fruit wasn't too much of a surprise. Remember, even in canon Logia have to choose to become their element. Most Logia train that to an instinct, so that they can do it unconsciously. But Smoker never met anyone as fast as Luffy AND Luffy had been completely relaxed before it happened. Once he had his guard up fully, it didn't happen again. Hope you guys enjoyed the real fight between them!**

 **Why could Luffy hurt Smoker? Remember, smoke is merely the particulates that fire was not hot enough to burn. Plasma is** _ **way**_ **hotter than fire. That's why Smoker was neutral to Ace but is in a losing matchup to Luffy. Speaking of which, I created a fruit that is ending up a wee bit more powerful than I had honestly intended it to be. I couldn't look at EVERY match up when I was coming up with it, but I did look at a fair number. It has at least one direct counter which I'm sure as fuck going to have a blast with, but it has elemental advantage against more fruits than I had intended originally.**

 **Oh well. You live and you learn. It also has a few neutral match ups too.**

 **Zoro and Tashigi also got a bit more screen time with each other than in canon, and I'm sure our sword nut has some things to stew over. I have some vague ideas, but it won't be until later that I decide one way or the other.**

 **-]|[-**

 **CHALLENGES**

 **IV. This is an alternate start I thought up of for a Gura Gura Luffy. It starts off with Luffy eating a Fruit called the Mimic-Mimic fruit. Initially, everyone thinks it's** _ **useless**_ **. You can only use it ONCE, and it doesn't directly give the eater any power, but gives them ALL of the weaknesses associated with Devil Fruits. Additionally, you can't just use it willy-nilly on anyone. The target has to give permission for it to finally activate. The only thing this stupid fruit has going for it…is that it allows you to break one of the rules for devil fruits: the 'only one of each fruit at a single time' rule.**

 **So then Luffy shows up at Marineford as the 'Super Rookie without a Devil Fruit' and hops up on Whitebeard's shoulder and starts whispering in his ear. The two of them start cackling like maniacs while the Marines wonder what the fuck is going on. And then Luffy hops off his shoulder and the both of them take the Earthquake stance.**

 **Cue Marine Uniform Soiling.**

 **V. So Mob Psycho 100 finished, and once again, ONE fucking nailed it. I'm currently reading the manga for it as well. Idea is simple. Luffy eats the Psychic-Psychic Fruit.**

 **-]|[-**

 **What's up next? I'm going to try my hardest to** _ **finally**_ **get the next bloody chapter of CRUSH! out. I'm not promising anything, but I'm going to try. I do already have around 9k for it from a while back, so at least I'm not starting from scratch. If I feel like I'm just forcing it, then I'm just going to either work on some more pilots for Mysteries or I'm going to continue on Supernova.**

 **Cheers all!**

 **Vortex out**


End file.
